Kingdoms Unknown - Voyage in an Otherworld
by Draconai
Summary: The region of Ransei - a land of Pokémon, and Warriors, and the ties that bind them. The seventeen kingdoms are no longer subject to war; rather, battles occur for the battle's own sake, as the power to forge a Link deserves. Yet now, strange occurrences began to manifest across the land. What does fate have in store? Forge new Links, find new conflict, and let the journey begin!
1. Aurora: An Unusual Invitation

Draco: So, when I submitted The President and the Champion, I had two slowly-brewing Generation VII fics that I intended to write after I had played Generation VIII and could write them without frickin' up the breach (for a plethora of stupid reasons I outlined in the aforementioned oneshot). Then I got a review. Well, two reviews, but one of them was just some troll who didn't even have his PMs enabled so that doesn't count by any meaningful definition. The other review was by someone who had read The Legend of Ransei and wanted to see more of Evia and Oichi.

I know, I **am** obsessed with Conquest. It's a problem, I'm seeking help. (But really it's not a problem, who doesn't love Conquest?) This is neither of my intended stories, and in fact I don't think it can possibly correlate to my oneshot so sorry if you noticed my subtle foreshadowing and were looking forward to it.

Okay, this is a direct continuation of the existing petals on my lily bomb. I highly recommend reading The Legend of Ransei, Auroran Nightlight, and To Be Wed in Dragnor so you have all the details and know what to expect from the way I write Pokémon Conquest.

Is there something else? I fell like there's something else... Oh yeah.

**WARNING. THIS IS A POKÉMON FANFICTION BY DRACONAI AURACTO. ****DO NOT READ THIS FANFICTION UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT WILL BE SHORT. YOU WILL REGRET IT.**

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.  
...Damn, it feels good to use those copyright shenanigans again.

* * *

**Aurora: An Unusual Invitation**

"I still haven't figured out where you found _one_ Eevee in Ransei. How did you find _another_?"

A laugh echoed around the castle courtyard from Evia - Warlord of Aurora, and former uniter of Ransei - as she stepped in, followed swiftly by her junior Warlord and wife, Oichi, and their Glaceon and Wigglytuff. Their daily trip to the ravine for training had turned up a pleasant surprise in the form of a familiar small Pokémon; one who was presently riding into the castle on the Warlord's shoulder.

Glaceon seemed to be in a mood as Evia shook her head. "Eevee's diverse evolution comes from its adaptability to its surroundings," she mused. "You can technically find them _anywhere_ in Ransei - they're just not usually easy to find."

"When a Pokémon is described as 'you can find them anywhere', that's meant to be an expression to say they _are_ easy to find," Oichi countered, though she had a smile on face all the same. Having Links with multiple Pokémon offered diversity; coupled with Evia's natural synergy with the Eevee family, a weaker Link in exchange for the possible type advantage wasn't much of a risk.

Their new addition gave an amused cry at her exasperation. Glaceon huffed irritably, drawing Evia's attention. "Oh?" she mused. "Sounds like someone's a little upset."

Glaceon turned away.

Oichi smiled. "What," she mused, "are you worried you're gonna get ignored in favour of the newcomer?"

Evia knelt down, stroking Glaceon gently. "Really? You're jealous? I'm not gonna just leave you behind. You're still my first Link." The Eeveelution softened a little bit in response to the assurance, and after a moment Evia turned back to Oichi. "Come on, let's..."

She trailed off after a moment; Oichi followed her gaze and was surprised to find a blimp approaching from the northeast.

+x+x+x+

"Brother, to what do we owe this surprise?"

Nobunaga of Dragnor winced in response to Evia's comment. "Will you never cease to unnerve me with that address?"

Evia shook her head. "That's why I call you by it." She and Oichi had met the arriving blimp as it landed, and the Warlord was pleasantly surprised to find her brother-in-law arriving. "Is this a social visit?"

"Would that it were only," Nobunaga confessed. "Hideyoshi requested my presence in Ignis, and I thought it courteous to visit Aurora on my way. While I was setting about preparations to leave Dragnor, Mitsuhide asked that I pass along a message to Oichi while I was here."

Oichi was surprised by that. "Me? What for?"

"Gracia would like you to come to Nixtorm," Nobunaga replied. "She's discovered and Linked with a couple of unusual small Pokémon that she wishes for you to see."

"I don't suppose you happened to see these unusual small Pokémon for yourself?" Evia asked.

"I'm afraid not," Nobunaga admitted. "Mitsuhide claimed they were 'beyond description' when he delivered the message."

Evia's gaze narrowed. "What kind of Pokémon could possibly be beyond description?"

"...I can think of one," Oichi admitted.

There was quiet among the group for a moment. Eevee, out of the loop, glanced between the Warlords and gave an inquisitive cry; Evia shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie. "I could probably offer a description if an artist wanted to paint the scene," she mused. "And I'm sure Mitsuhide wouldn't-"

"No," Nobunaga agreed. "He insisted that it wasn't-"

"Of course it wasn't," Oichi agreed, "why would it possibly be-"

"Exactly," Evia agreed. Then, changing the subject; "Join us for dinner, Brother?"

Nobunaga nodded. "If you insist."

+x+x+x+

"A strange cavern?"

Oichi's question over dinner had Nobunaga nodding. "Indeed. But more than that, his description of it rings familiar."

"Familiar as in 'I feel like I've fought there'?" Evia asked. "Or familiar as in 'where's my record of myths'?"

"Rather between the two," Nobunaga corrected.

"...A legendary Pokémon?" Oichi asked.

Nobunaga nodded. "Before my... ambition," he explained, "Nō and I encountered a sky garden unlike any other while we were in Violight. That was where I met - and Linked with - the Black Yang."

"And you suspect that this cave that Hideyoshi has reported might be host to another legend?" Oichi inquired.

"I do," Nobunaga confirmed. "If he should like accompaniment while he journeys inside, I wish to offer it to him. If not, I wish only to offer him warning."

Evia raised an eyebrow. "Hideyoshi makes a lot of assumptions," she admitted, "but underestimating a legendary Pokémon doesn't seem like it would be one of them."

"That's not what I mean," Nobunaga reprimanded. "After I forged my Link with Zekrom, it vanished, and then reappeared when you took Terrara and Illusio - over a year later. Then it vanished again once you took Dragnor. Rekkūza was no different. It appeared to me after you took Viperia, departed once I had forged my Link, and only reappeared to me when you took Dragnor. Then it vanished again after the events on the Tower, and only reappeared after..." He cut himself off abruptly, his gaze falling back to his meal as he muttered, "...after I got your invitation."

Oichi and Evia both tried and failed to fight giggles at the implication that the Sky Demon had appeared to him just so he could get back to Ransei in time for the wedding. "Then, your warning is...?"

"Yes," Nobunaga confirmed. "Legendary Pokémon are fickle, and unlike to honour their Links for long." He raised his gaze to Evia. "I wish for Hideyoshi to be aware of this - as are you and I."

Evia nodded. "A sound motive."

+x+x+x+

Nobunaga elected to depart for Ignis after dinner rather than lingering in the castle, thanking Evia for her hospitality. The next morning, Oichi prepared to depart for Nixtorm; with Gracia asking for a peaceful visit, she decided to leave her rapier and buckler in Aurora, taking her healer's staff with her instead.

"You sure you don't want some accompaniment?" Evia asked.

"And leave Aurora undefended?" Oichi countered. "I don't think so. What, are you gonna miss me?"

Evia sighed. "The Warlord Chamber's gonna be a lot emptier without you," she admitted.

Oichi shook her head. "I won't be gone long," she insisted. "If Hideyoshi does find a legendary Pokémon in that cave, and brings it here tomorrow to attack you, I promise I'll be back before you fight him again."

"Does the month of courtesy really apply if you lose the kingdom?" Evia asked, her gaze falling inquisitively.

"Who said you were gonna lose the kingdom?" Oichi argued.

Surprise decorated Evia's face. "You think me and Glaceon can hold off against whatever legend shows up in _Ignis_?"

A smile rose on Oichi's. "What sort of wife would I be if I didn't give you a vote of confidence?"

Evia returned the smile, pulling Oichi into a tight hug. "I love you."

"Love you too."

When finally they parted, Oichi picked up her things and started into the blimp.

Evia didn't start back into the castle until it had vanished on the horizon.

* * *

Draco: So, I haven't yet actually played Sword and Shield; I'm just writing this first chapter as a proclamation that I'm going to write this. Which means I don't want to hear a word about Galar until the second chapter comes up. I wanted to try and only write one ongoing fic until it was done, but the downside to that strategy is that I vanish of the face of FFN if my current focus drifts away from the appropriate fandom(s).

Quick summary of how I'm going to updating a Generation V setting to a Generation VII/VIII fic (not sure whether I'm going to include Galarian elements yet; this one's primarily because of something I very much liked in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon):  
-Only Fairy-retyped Pokémon in the Ransei Gallery are the Jigglypuff, Ralts, and Cottonnee lines, all of which went from single-type to dual-type Pokémon. Not reassigning moves, and let's quietly gloss over all the scenes where I had Jigglypuff at a defensive disadvantage to Fighting-type Pokémon (more discussion on that next chapter)  
-Alolan/Galarian variant Pokémon do not appear in the wild in Ransei any more than they appear in Kanto. (Context for those who haven't played Let's Go: all Alolan forms can be obtained exclusively via in-game trade.)


	2. Nixtorm: Celestial Curiosity

Draco: Okay, guys, I know I intended to save this until after I played Sword and Shield, but I wrote the first eight chapters because (for reasons which will become clear later) I trusted myself to handle the initial build-up without fricking something up. If I had sufficient self-discipline, I could probably keep writing this whole story even while I'm breaching the generation and not make my work suffer for it, but I don't trust myself to maintain that because my self-discipline is Mulch. I'm going to submit the next few chapters on a weekly basis in the interests of bettering my readers' Mondays; I'd like to kindly prohibit any comments about Galar until Chapter 9 so I can go into this Generation unspoiled. I still don't know anything about Galar except what the mascots look like.

Time for a quick heads-up, all Warlords are Rank II at the start of this fic except for Evia, who is Rank III. Canonically, all the ruling Warlords have undergone transformation by Two Heroes of Ransei, and I'm treating it as though all the junior Warlords transformed during Evia and Nobunaga's joint endeavour during Auroran Nightlight.

Funny story: I subtitled my Legend of Ransei fic "AuraX's Swansong" as a proclamation to myself that it would be my last proper Pokémon fic. That username originally came about because I'm a Pokémon fan. Like, I had a couple Ransei oneshots as followups, but they weren't really proper whole-ordeal Pokémon fics, they were focused on Evia and Oichi. Then I tried to write a huge original-story Pokémon fic in less than a year. Which failed spectacularly, yes, but then I took a book that was going to exist within that huge fic and gave it the #Defictionalization treatment. And just recently, I wrote a oneshot that I intended to subtly foreshadow two different Alola fics. Now I'm writing another full-bodies Ransei fic that isn't just focusing on Evia and Oichi.

I'm gonna go change that subtitle now.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Nixtorm: Celestial Curiosity**

"Lady Oichi!"

As her brother had landed in Aurora for a familial visit on his way to Ignis, so too did Oichi land in Dragnor to see a friend before she made for Nixtorm. Ranmaru and Lucario had approached the blimp as she landed, and Oichi and Wigglytuff greeted them with a smile. "Ranmaru. Long time."

"Indeed," Ranmaru conceded. "I don't suppose you passed Lord Nobunaga's ship on your way here?"

"Not exactly," Oichi giggled. "He arrived in Dragnor and delivered Mitsuhide's message."

Ranmaru nodded. "The delivery of the message was my primary concern," he admitted. "Please, come in."

The two of them started into Dragnor Castle. "So," Oichi asked, "how's this end of Ransei been?"

"You speak as though you expect us to have had so much more trouble than the Aurora Trigram," Ranmaru argued. "Things have been fine."

"I'm glad to hear it," Oichi mused. "Forgive my saying, but there are a few more Warriors on this side of Ransei that don't exactly carry the most honour."

"...True enough," Ranmaru agreed. "But there's been little concern on that front. Lady Nō has been content to let Lord Nobunaga come to her rather than vice versa, which means the rest of us are spared her... delights. And we've heard little conflict from the shinobi kingdoms."

"Excellent. And the twins?" The Dratini that Evia and Oichi had linked with early in their first conquest had elected to stay in Dragnor since the events atop the Tower of Infinity - and had evolved shortly before the wedding.

"They're faring quite well," Ranmaru admitted.

"Wonderful." Oichi adjusted her grip on her staff. "So, I don't suppose you've had the opportunity to meet Gracia's new friends?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "Mistuhide came with the message; he didn't bring them along. From the sound of things, they're not particularly capable in a fight, and Gracia didn't want to risk them on a march from Nixtorm."

Oichi hummed. "Two of them, beyond description, and not battle-worthy?" she mused. "The curiosity grows."

"Should I take that to mean you'll be departing quickly?" Ranmaru asked.

"I think so, yes," Oichi admitted. "This is just too unusual for me to wait too long. The sooner I go to see her, the better."

"So long as you are not neglecting yourself," Ranmaru admitted, "far be it from me to keep you."

"Neglecting?" Oichi echoed.

A growl from her stomach answered her question; a few hours' flight from Aurora had gotten her hungry, and Ranmaru chuckled. "Join me for a meal?"

+x+x+x+

Once they had eaten, Oichi and Wigglytuff departed for Nixtorm; diamond dust was falling as they arrived at the castle, causing the air to sparkle. Gracia and Gothitelle were waiting in the courtyard as they approached - the Psychic-type noticed them first, but neglected to draw attention to their presence before Oichi whistled a thirteen-note tune that sounded like the threat of rainfall.

Gracia spun around with a broad smile. "Lady Oichi!"

"Hello, Gracia," Oichi greeted. As the junior Warlord approached, Oichi noticed that the small top hat she'd worn since her transformation seemed unusually _large_ on her.

"Lord Nobunaga gave you my message?" Gracia asked.

Oichi nodded. "Indeed he did," she confirmed. "Who are these strange new Pokémon you've found?"

"Come on in," Gracia insisted, "I'll show you."

She started to lead the way inside; Gothitelle seemed to be trying to fight a smile as Oichi passed her. "Did anything strange happen before you found them?" the Dragnoran asked as they stepped in.

"I don't know if I'd say that," Gracia admitted, kicking the snow off her boots. "Father had a really weird encounter a couple of months ago, but I don't think it had anything to do with these two. It's not like-"

Her hat started to _shake_ upon her head; Oichi yelped, stepping back, and Gracia stumbled for a bit before grabbing the rim. "Oh, come on," she protested, "you guys couldn't wait two more minutes?"

Oichi blinked. "You mean...?"

Gracia giggled, turning around with her hands on her hat. "Guess the Meowth's out of the bag," she admitted. "Ta-da!"

She lifted the hat off, and Oichi was amazed by what she found beneath it. Two small, identical Pokémon were floating there - and though _beyond description_ was a bit of an overstatement, she couldn't blame Mitsuhide for lacking the words. Each looked like a starry sky with a face; a gaseous body of dark violet, with a black zone upon which its face rested, and two arms (that was the best word Oichi could find for them) of faint blue speckled with stardust. They pulled back from each other as Gracia's hat gave them breathing room, shaking their arms and giving soft cries like ringing bells.

"...What...?" Oichi smiled as she beheld the two. "What are these...?"

"Said they're called 'Cosmog'," Gracia replied, tossing her hat to Gothitelle. The Psychic-type caught it, and it vanished as Gracia reached a hand up to the two. "Cute, aren't they?"

"They're **so** cute," Oichi agreed, offering them her own hand. One of the Cosmog reached its arm in return, and though it seemed to pass right through her fingers at first, there was just enough substance that she was able to close her thumb and index finger to shake hands. "Where did you even find these two?"

"I was setting up the battlefield when I found them hiding under a tree," Gracia admitted. "I wouldn't take them into battle - they fight like Abra - but they're just so nice I had to Link with them."

Gothitelle tossed her her hat; Gracia stepped back so the Cosmog weren't in range before putting it on, and Oichi noticed that this one was properly-sized for Gracia's head. "So," the Dragnoran asked, "did you just want to introduce us, or...?"

Gracia shook her head. "I was kinda hoping you could help me puzzle them out," she asked. "I've never seen Pokémon like these two before."

"Nor have I," Oichi admitted. "They're something else. But... hmm." She turned to Gracia. "Your father doesn't mind if I stay here, does he?"

"Not if you're not expected back," replied a voice from behind her.

Oichi tensed up, turning around to find Mitsuhide between her and Wigglytuff. "Could you _not_?" she protested.

Giggling, Gracia stepped around. "Hi, Father," she greeted. "Where's Lapras?"

"She's still outside," Mitsuhide replied. "Diamond dust is so rare, she loves it."

With a sigh, Oichi stepped back. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"I don't mind you staying here," he assured her, "but if you're expected back in Aurora..."

"He's right," Gracia confirmed. "Is Evia gonna be okay with you being gone so long?"

"I told her I'd be back within a month," Oichi assured them. "I can spend it helping you try and figure these two out." She reached for the Cosmog again, running her hands lightly over their bodies. "She'll understand."

Gracia smiled. "Great to have you here!"

+x+x+x+

The next few weeks were spent all over Nixtorm, trying to figure out the Cosmog - unsuccessfully, all told. Books and research, besides boring both Oichi and Gracia to all Distortion, turned up very little - nothing on anything resembling these two. A mock battle with Wigglytuff segued into a game of hide-and-seek when they had both Teleported from the battlefield to the rafters of rooms on opposite ends of Nixtorm Castle's top floor. Less combative tests had discovered only that they were very quick to grasp the rules of checkers.

"Tomorrow makes twenty-one, and nothing," Gracia sighed over dinner.

"Sorry I couldn't be more help," Oichi apologized.

Gracia shook her head. "No, I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Oichi smiled. "I couldn't call a fun three weeks wasted," she assured.

"I suppose..."

Mitsuhide sighed. "It can't be helped," he proclaimed. "If there are no existing accounts of Cosmog, we shall simply have to write the first."

That put a smile on Gracia's face. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she admitted.

"That could be something to look forward to," Oichi mused. "_A Study of Cosmog, by Gracia of Nixtorm_."

"Yeah!" Gracia cheered.

"Do you mean to suggest I won't be contributing?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Oichi insisted. "Every good work needs a publisher."

"That's not what I meant," Mitsuhide objected, though he was smiling all the same.

"Too bad, Father!" Gracia taunted. "My study, your spread!"

Oichi turned to her. "Of course, that assumes you have the patience to do the study," she admitted. "Think you can sit down and write your findings?"

Gracia spun around with confidence... and promptly hesitated. "Uh..."

Laughter circled the table at that.

* * *

Draco: You know, I've heard the jokes about Conquest and Jigglypuff's retyping, but let's look at the facts about Ransei and see how well that snark actually holds up.

1) If the time runs out on the clock, the defender automatically wins. Dragnor's clock is ten turns, and it takes me four turns to move an Eevee close enough that Nobunaga doesn't sit still at the defender's end. Oichi didn't have any allies when she showed up at Aurora, which means she was opposing Nobunaga all on her lonesome. Jigglypuff's only offensive Fairy-type move by level-up is Disarming Voice, which could conceivably be a three-in-front attack like Icy Wind but doesn't have an exceptional power rating. And looking at other examples of Pokémon move assignments in Ransei, a lot of Normal/Flying Pokémon got Normal-type moves, so a Normal/Fairy Jigglypuff might've gotten Double Slap anyways.  
(All remaining points will give the benefit of the doubt and assume a Normal/Fairy Jigglypuff gets Disarming Voice)

2) Nobunaga's "vs. Alpha" team - which is all the people who are personally close to him - includes a guy with a Lucario (Fighting/Steel) and a guy with an Aggron (Rock/Steel). Lucario vs. Jigglypuff is a fully-evolved Pokémon vs. a Pokémon that was considered unevolved in its debut Generation, neutral offense/defense both ways (Fighting weakness cancels out Steel resistance to Fairy, Normal weakness cancels out Fairy resistance to Fighting). Aggron vs. Jigglypuff is a #CurbStompBattle in Ieyasu's favour (Iron Tail can hit her from any position that Disarming Voice could).  
(And if they include Mega Evolution in Ransei, they'd both be applicable options no matter how you slice the mechanics)

3) When Generation VI introduced the Fairy type, it also introduced Dragalge, a Poison/Dragon type Pokémon. Dragalge's offensive moves by level-up include the Poison-type Sludge Bomb and Poison Tail for super-effective damage, as well as the Water-type Hydro Pump and Aqua Tail for neutral damage. I guarantee if Ransei had been host to Fairy-type Pokémon, Nobunaga would have had a Warrior with a Dragalge, or possibly even had Dragalge himself as his Rank I Perfect Link.  
(As a bonus, the "overgrown Zweilous" remark I gave Oichi would've actually worked **better** as "overgrown Skrelp")

4) Despite my inclinations to play Legendary Pokémon for drama, there's no indicators that Nobunaga didn't have Zekrom when Oichi defected. Zekrom's assigned move is Bolt Strike, an Electric-type move which has neutral efficiency against a Normal/Fairy Jigglypuff and deals one square of knockback. I for one would be fairly confident in Zekrom's ability to endure one Disarming Voice from an unevolved Pokémon and move into position for a Bolt Strike, and I don't think it's possible to not be perpendicular to a node's effect radius.

5) Nobunaga's existing Dragnor defense team includes a Simisage with Leaf Storm, which means he already has a means to deal at least neutral damage to Fairy-types.

Verdict: Even if Ransean Jigglypuff were Normal/Fairy-type Pokémon, there's still next to no chance that Oichi could successfully perform a one-woman march on Dragnor.


	3. Aurora: Frozen With Terror

Draco: When I said that I was uploading these chapters on Mondays, I'm going by Saskatchewan time, which uses Central Standard Time (GMT-6) with **no** Daylight Savings. Apparently, FFN uses a different time zone, because when I uploaded Chapter 2 as the date changed to the 16th, it registered as having been updated on the 15th.

So, a friend of mine is rubbing off on me, and I put a little too much thought into this. Whenever I introduce a Pokémon that wasn't present in Ransei in Generation V, I am going to include as much of their gameplay details as I am confident in my power to think through. To be specific: the Pokémon's assigned move, their Range, their Abilities, the details of any new moves Abilities, and (if applicable) their evolution conditions [meaning what type of threshold to breach, not what that threshold is]. For example...

Cosmog  
-Range: 4  
-Move: Teleport  
-Ability: Unaware  
Evolution condition - improve Defense

All moves I have plans to introduce have at least one existing move in Conquest that uses an identical intended attack area; if a move I'm introducing has an attack area more complicated than "single tile in front", I'll provide an example of a move that uses the same.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Aurora: Frozen With Terror**

"Thanks again for coming, Lady Oichi."

With three weeks passed in Nixtorm, Oichi and Wigglytuff reckoned it was time to head back to Aurora; Gracia and the Cosmog came to see her off as she made to board the blimp. "No worries," the Dragnoran assured her. "I had fun. Thanks for inviting me."

Gracia gave a happy bow. "If we find anything out," she promised, "you'll be the first to know!"

"Unless Evia manages to meet the mail first," Oichi admitted.

"Yeah," Gracia giggled, "I guess that's possible."

Oichi smiled, starting on board. "If you do learn anything," she observed, "maybe I'll let her come see them instead."

"That might be fun!" Gracia agreed. "See you!"

The Cosmog both cried out to her as she boarded the blimp; the vessel started to lift into the air, and they and Gracia stood there beneath the powder storm that scattered as a consequence, waiting until the ship took off towards Aurora.

Gracia stretched her arms with a groan. "Okay, you two," she mused, "let's head back in."

Her comment had the Cosmog exchanging glances; then one of them gave a disapproving cry, swinging its arms at its sides.

"What do you mean, _no_?" Gracia objected. "Where are you two gonna go, then?"

The other swept around her, causing her to spin as she tried to follow its gaze; when it stopped moving, it was slightly upward of her.

"Oh, no you don't," Gracia insisted, smiling. "We are not going to the sky garden just the three of us when you guys are Teleporters. Let's go get Father and Lapras before you try and head that way."

The two Teleporters objected.

Gracia shook her head. "Nuh-uh. We can't go on our own. Gothitelle's coming with us at least."

The Cosmog made motions that she suspected was the closest they had to shaking their heads.

Her smile fell. "Come on, please. I don't want you guys getting hurt. If we go on our own, I can't help you. Please..."

The two exchanged glances... and then turned back to her, smiling.

A sigh escaped Gracia, relieved that they were willing to agree. "Thank you."

+x+x+x

The sun was halfway behind the horizon as Oichi landed back in Aurora. She was somewhat surprised to find the landing zone empty; Evia hadn't come out to meet her. Suspecting that her attention was a lot less likely to be on the sky in the dark, Oichi made her way inside.

Aurora had never had a great deal of castle servants; Evia and her father before her liked to do things themselves, and when Oichi had first joined her army, there had been a grand total of _five_ people keeping the castle clean, all unobtrusive sorts who felt that a servant's work should be seen and the servant should not, unless requested. Even now, the castle didn't host a terribly great number; Evia had hired a few workers when she had gotten the Warlord Chamber renovated (after one too many victory nights at kingdoms with balconies in theirs), and some of them had asked to stay in her employ, but the castle was still a lot emptier than that of, say, Ignis.

Thus was Oichi unsurprised when she stepped into the castle and found no one running about.

Her surprise was that the castle was _silent_.

As much as the servants liked to be unseen, the castle was never devoid of sound like this while people were awake - there were always the echoes of footsteps, conversation, work being done, sounds that had passed through a dozen walls or bounced off a hundred surfaces, subsided in volume yet still heard on some level. There's a dramatic difference between a building sleeping and wakeful; sounds that one does not consciously acknowledge, but can recognize the absence of all the same. Oichi had only heard quiet like this on rare occasions, when she had retired for the night yet failed to fall asleep, or when she had been roused by an unpleasant dream and yet to return to slumber.

Wigglytuff glanced around before giving a concerned cry.

"I know," Oichi mused. "Maybe Evia's called it an early night?" After a day when a battle had been held, they had a tendency to retire sooner than they otherwise would, thanks to the extra effort swinging a sword and shield required; these past few weeks would most likely be the first time Evia had held a battle that Oichi had not been involved with. She wondered if Hideyoshi had found a legendary Pokémon, had it vanish on him after the Link was forged like Nobunaga had described, and then spent some time hoping it would reappear before coming here for a fight in the hopes that it would lift his spirits.

They made through the castle; Oichi's grip was tighter on her staff than usual. When they reached the Warlord Chamber, Oichi briefly considered knocking... yet for a reason she couldn't place, her hand went to the doorknob without offering that warning to anyone inside.

She didn't know what she expected to find on the other side of that door; Evia could have been sleeping, giving Oichi the option to surprise her in the morning. She could have been in the furo, and called out for whoever it was to wait for her as the door was being opened; she could have even been in the middle of changing, and presenting Oichi with an opportunity to see the flustered Evia that she had only ever glimpsed a few times. Even if it happened that she was elsewhere in the castle, doing something so quietly that the castle was still silent from the entrance hall, Oichi would have known in an instant.

Which meant that she also knew in an instant that something was very wrong, as soon as the door was open. The bed was left messy, its covers thrown open in the haphazard triangle of one who tosses them aside in a hurry - despite Evia's insistence on making the bed before she left, unless she was woken rudely. The pillow was halfway off the mattress, and wrong-side up; Evia's Warlord Crown had always given her trouble sleeping elsewhere, and she had a custom pillow with a build that meant it wouldn't make contact and cause discomfort. Neither Eevee nor Glaceon was anywhere to be found; her Pokémon had always slept in the Warlord Chamber with her, and when Evia's attention was drawn elsewhere at a late hour, they would remain here (Pokémon sleeping habits were much more regular than those of humans).

But the element that told her something dreadful had happened was lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. A sheath lay on the floor, its tip reaching under the bed - the sheath of Evia's own Warlord Sword - and it was empty.

"No..." Oichi's grasp on her staff faltered, and it fell to the ground as she slowly approached the fallen scabbard. "No... no..." She fell to her knees, grasping the sheath gingerly, hoping her eyes were playing tricks on her - but the feel of the metal beneath her hands confirmed her fears. "No..."

Tears began to flow, and she pulled it close. "Evia... what happened?"

She wept - tears stained the floor beneath her as she let her sorrow run. Wigglytuff's own sobs echoed down the halls from the doorway as Warrior and Pokémon tried to comprehend this - tried to understand what had happened to the Warlord; yet they could come to no conclusion that didn't have them fearing for Evia's life.

In time, Oichi forced herself to move. She didn't stand; she crawled to the balcony, weakly pushing its doors open and pulling herself through the curtains without bothering to part them properly. She dragged herself to the railing, seized it to pull herself upright, and leaned over its edge, trying to breathe enough of the night air that she could even _try_ to act.

The wind changed - and something else made her act instead.

A cold connected with her back; Oichi opened her mouth and gave a cry of shock, the chill catching her by surprise. After a moment, she dragged her sleeve across her face, trying to wipe away enough of the tears that she could see what had happened... yet there was no one there but her and Wigglytuff, no one that could have chilled her like that. Another chill struck the bridge of her nose - from above - and she raised her gaze in confusion, finding a white powder drifting over the rooftop of Aurora Castle.

"Snow... in Aurora?" Abruptly she realized that there was exactly one Pokémon with cold who had reason being in Aurora. "Wait... Glaceon...!"

She stumbled back inside on uneven legs, setting Evia's sheath upon the bed; Wigglytuff stepped forward to help her steady herself, and she seized her staff as she passed through the door. She knew, deep down, that this couldn't be true, that Evia was not here, that that cold did not overrule the disarray of the Warlord Chamber; yet she wanted to believe, and forced herself to advance through the castle to the battlefield door - a door she had gone through at this late hour far too often.

The door was thrown open.

Evia was not there... but Glaceon was. The entire battlefield was swathed with snow, progressively heavier closer to where Glaceon stood, with Icy Wind roaring from around him. The Eeveelution was lying on the ground, looking weak, yet still the chill coursed through the battlefield. Standing beside him was a towering figure of white - yet it couldn't be something of Glaceon's making, for the snow was clearly resting upon it rather than crafting it, and nor could it be an opponent that had been immobilized, for Glaceon had only enough cold to make ice from water and not to entrap a foe.

His visibly weakened condition took Oichi by concern; she forced herself to step forward, using her staff to support herself. "Glaceon!" The Eeveelution raised its gaze as she drew near. "What... what happened?"

Glaceon gave a weak cry - not battle-weary, but _starved_.

Dread took hold of Oichi as she realized what had happened. "How long have you been alone here?" Then, more prominently; "What have you been doing? You shouldn't just be standing here, you need to-"

The wind intensified from around Glaceon, causing Oichi stumble back - and the snow that was covering the figure was cast aside.

First, Oichi was amazed by what she saw. Standing there was a Pokémon that - like Cosmog - Oichi had neither seen before nor even heard of its like. It was quadrupedal, but though its hind legs ended in padded paws, its forelegs terminated with scissored triple claws. Its tail looked almost aquatic, like it was designed to facilitate direction in water; its head was covered in something, but it bore a mane and plume that were so voluminous, whoever had designed that cover had not even bothered to try to contain them. It was standing upon something; a case of some sort that was sturdy enough to serve as a pedestal.

Then, Oichi was terrified. The Pokémon was completely immobile; it was covered in a layer of ice thin enough for her to make out its form, its figure, yet thick enough that she couldn't make out the Pokémon's own colours, only what was darker than something else. This was too _measured_ to be natural - too precise to even be done by a Pokémon not instructed by a human. Immediately, Oichi knew why Glaceon was so starved, why it had been remaining in this battlefield even with Evia gone while no one knew why.

"This... isn't freezing," Oichi realized, "this is... stasis. If it thawed from this..." She turned to Glaceon. "You're keeping it on ice."

Glaceon nodded.

Oichi stepped back; dread and fear were forced down as her healer's nature took over. Evia's whereabouts could wait, for there was nothing they could do without knowing where she was; right now, there was a Pokémon before her that would _die_ if measures were not taken, and her mind focused on ensuring they were. "We have to get it to Nixtorm," she proclaimed. "Wigglytuff, start pushing him towards the blimp." She approached Glaceon and picked him up; the Pokémon in stasis had a broad enough back that she was able to lie him upon it. "Keep the cold up just a little longer," she pleaded.

A firm cry emerged from Glaceon; knowing that reprieve was coming, he could hold on just a little more. Wigglytuff started to push the Pokémon from the base, and Oichi set her staff down next to Glaceon before seizing its flanks and adding her own strength to the effort. The snow that had covered the battlefield made the movement easier; as they left, the chill Glaceon offered intensified, forming a layer of snow on the fastest path.

+x+x+x+

There were a lot of words for flying across Ransei in the middle of the night. Hasty was not one of them - moreso with the storm that they found themselves flying through as they reached the kingdom of ice. When they finally landed, Oichi forced the bay door open before the all-clear was even given; a rush of Nixtormer cold filled the blimp, and Glaceon's own chill subsided as he was finally given reprieve, slumping off the Pokémon's back and into Wigglytuff's ready catch.

As Oichi stepped down the ramp, Gracia circled around the blimp with Gothitelle and the Cosmog following suit. "Lady Oichi!" she called. "What are you doing? It's like, minus five hundred degrees out- holy _Distortion_ what is that!?"

"Get Mitsuhide!" Oichi yelled. "We need to keep this thing cold!"

"Right, Father...!" Gracia turned to the Cosmog - and one of them vanished in a flash of light, Teleporting back to Nixtorm Castle. She quickly dashed up the ramp. "Bring it out of the ship," she insisted, "nothing's gonna thaw in this weather!" As she hit the cargo bay, she was surprised at what else she saw. "Wait, what happened to Glaceon?"

"I don't have the details yet," Oichi insisted, "but this Pokémon was in the battlefield at Aurora and he was the only thing keeping it on ice. I don't think he's eaten in a few days."

Gracia promptly picked him up. "I'm gonna get him some Ponigiri," she insisted. "Gothitelle, help her get it off the blimp!" Gothitelle nodded as she charged off, dashing towards the castle with the remaining Cosmog trailing behind her; psychic power circled the Pokémon in stasis, and she carefully eased it down the ramp, not daring to lift it for fear of her attention faltering and causing it to fall to earth too hard. Oichi and Wigglytuff flanked it as she brought it away from the blimp, and only once it was well out of range of any possibly flight landings did Gothitelle's psychic power disperse.

"Oichi!"

The voice came through the storm rather than appearing at her shoulder; Oichi turned to find the Warlord riding Lapras through the snow with the Cosmog who had fetched him at his shoulder. "Mitsuhide!"

Mitsuhide dismounted, approaching the Pokémon in amazement. "What is this?"

"I don't know," Oichi admitted, "but it's in stasis. We have to keep it cold."

"Well, you've come to the right place," Mitsuhide observed.

Oichi shook her head. "It can't just be out in the open," she insisted. "If the sunlight is on this thing, it'll start to thaw."

"What do you mean?" Mitsuhide asked. "I've never..."

"It's a delicate process," Oichi explained. "I don't know why it's on ice, but I do know it has to be _kept_ on ice. If it thaws just because it's exposed to heat, it's an uneven process. The Pokémon will die. We need it kept cold, and we need it protected from the sun, because if there's just one day where things are just a little warmer than normal, things will start to thaw."

"Okay," Mitsuhide mused. "We have an off-structure near the castle we use for frozen goods. It keeps things cold in case of weather like that. You think that'll be cold enough?"

"Keeps them cold as in 'just below freezing'?" Oichi asked.

"No," Mitsuhide confirmed, "keeps them cold as in 'an Ice-type Pokémon is comfortable in there and a Water/Ice-type Pokémon is not'."

"That'll do."

+x+x+x+

Once they had the frozen Pokémon safely in the cold-house, they made their way inside. Glaceon had eaten a hearty meal and fallen asleep; Oichi insisted that she didn't know anything about how that Pokémon had ended up in Aurora, and so they resolved to sleep on it.

With the Pokémon's life no longer in danger, sleep wasn't going to come easily to Oichi; the storm was still blowing outside, and she found herself sitting at the doors to the balcony, listening to the howling of the wind and letting her mind turn.

"Lady Oichi, you're still up?"

The Dragnoran turned to find Gracia approaching her, dressed in a heavy nightgown. "Gracia," she greeted. "Yeah. Sorry."

Gracia sighed. "Did... something happen?"

"Not since we got it into the-"

"That's not what I mean," Gracia insisted. "Did something happen to Lady Evia?"

Oichi winced at the question. "How could you...?"

Gracia beckoned to her hands. "You're fiddling with your ring."

The healer glanced down to find her fingers closed around her wedding band. "...Oh."

With a sigh, Gracia sat down against the other door. "What happened when you got back to Aurora?"

"The castle was asleep," Oichi explained. "When I got to the Warlord Chamber, everything was in disarray - Evia never leaves things disorganized unless someone pisses her off." She closed her eyes. "I found the sheath for her sword lying on the floor. And with the way Glaceon was starved..." The tears began to flow. "I don't know how long she was gone. I don't know what happened to her..."

Gracia set her hand over Oichi's. "It's not your fault," she insisted. "I asked you to come here for help with the Cosmog."

"But I chose to stay here as long as I did," Oichi protested.

"And, what, that makes you _complicit_ in what happened?" Gracia argued. "You said Lady Evia was fine with you being here for a while. You had no way of knowing what was gonna happen." She shook her head. "You're not responsible for what happened to her."

"Thank you..."

* * *

Draco: As I mentioned at the start of Legend of Ransei, I am mildly irked by the fact that the only female Warlord who can Link with a Legendary Pokémon is the player. I spent some time thinking about other Warlords who could plausibly get legendary Links (and let me tell you, it took a lot of willpower to make myself avoid arbitrarily assigning certain legends to Warlords regardless of type just to complete certain sets).

Ginchiyo + Zapdos - The woman rules the Electric kingdom and her boyfriend is a Flying specialist. It's Zapdos or Thundurus, and I don't think the Raijin is quite as appropriate as a bird that looks like a thundercloud.

Ina + Suicune - Her senior Warlord _and_ her father both have Legendary Links and she doesn't? I don't think so. Not sure if Suicune should have Aurora Beam for the elegance or Hydro Pump so Ina can sharpen its accuracy.

Okuni + Genesect - Her default is Venipede's line, her Perfect Link is Larvesta's, and she refers to every Pokémon she Links with as cute. The girl can find beauty in the most unpleasant of Pokémon and has a fondness for bugs just this side of Agitha.

Nō + Giratina - This one should be hands-down. She rules the Ghost kingdom and her husband rules the Dragon kingdom. People who saw her type specializations and didn't know their Sengoku already assumed Antimatter was in Ransei.

Kai + Entei - Volcanoes are rock formations that explode. She's the junior Warlord of Cragspur and a Fire-type specialist; Entei has a mane like volcanic smoke and is formally classified as the Volcano Pokémon.


	4. Nixtorm: To Know More

Draco: **NEW EDIT:** Trying to correct a typo led to a mis-clicking on the file update that refused to be corrected no matter what I did. You probably got the notification for this chapter twice, I apologize. You might have come across a chapter fragment involving Kingdom Hearts; I apologize. **END NEW EDIT**

So, I'd just like to remind any of you that Warriors in Ransei can communicate with their Pokémon with the same spectrum of understanding (and misunderstanding) that they can with other humans, because this is about when that starts being important. It's officially described as "communicating wordlessly", but given humans are vocal creatures there's no reason they wouldn't use their words in a non-combat situation even if the Pokémon don't do the same.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Nixtorm: To Know More**

A knock on the door roused Oichi from her slumber.

Before her mind had properly processed everything her body was feeling, she already knew that something was off, because the nearest door should have been point-blank to her left - not across a room. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes to find she was lying in one of the Warriors' rooms; as she started to right herself, another knock sounded on the door, and she called, "Come in."

The door was opened, revealing Mitsuhide behind it. "Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning," Oichi returned. "When did I...?"

"Somewhere about three hours past midnight," Mitsuhide answered. "Gracia had Gothitelle bring you here. It's nearly noon."

Oichi sighed. "I see." She drew off her covers, getting to her feet. "Tell her I said thanks. I should-"

"You can tell her yourself," Mitsuhide insisted. "You're not going anywhere."

"As much as I appreciate the concern," Oichi admitted, "I can't leave Aurora undefended."

"I realize that," Mitsuhide assured her. "I've spoken to Nobunaga; he'll be watching over Aurora, with you occupied and... Evia absent. Ranmaru arrived earlier with your travel packs."

Realizing that Gracia must have shared their conversation last night, Oichi wanted to object - but she quickly realized that Mitsuhide had a point. "Alright," she mused. "Thank you."

She stepped out of the room, causing Mitsuhide to turn to her. "What do you plan to do?"

"...One thing at a time," Oichi insisted. "How's Glaceon?"

"He had more at breakfast than I thought anything that size could eat safely," Mitsuhide admitted. "I reckon he's recovering nicely."

+x+x+x+

"Five days..."

Oichi was spoken with Glaceon over lunch (breakfast for her, really, but it was lunch for everyone else). "And you found that Pokémon on ice on the same day she vanished?"

Glaceon gave a muffled cry through a mouthful of Ponigiri.

"The night after that morning..." Oichi set a hand against her chin. "That's too far apart, it couldn't be the same cause... Wasn't there anything that could have put it there, sounds of something delivering it or people passing through?"

A shake of his head.

"A sound like what?" Oichi reached for her temples. "That... doesn't begin to make sense."

"You're lucky you lasted long enough for her to get back," Mitsuhide observed as he approached. Glaceon turned towards him; the Warlord set down another dish full of Ponigiri, picking up his empty one. "That's was bold of you."

The Eeveelution glared at him.

Mitsuhide shrugged. "Yes, you have a point - but if you'd starved before Oichi arrived, what are the odds she could've kept it cold herself?"

Glaceon returned to his meal awkwardly.

Oichi sighed. "I need to know more about that Pokémon," she mused.

"With respect," Mitsuhide observed, "we learned nothing over three weeks of trying to learn more about the Cosmog, and that was with their contribution."

"That's not what I mean," Oichi insisted. "I need to figure out why it's in stasis - and whether it's safe to take it _out_."

"How do you mean?" Gracia asked. "Why would a Pokémon be like that, anyways?"

The healer tapped the table, trying to think. "There's a couple different reasons," she admitted. "It might have been injured really badly, and being taken to someone who could heal it properly - someone far enough away that it couldn't just be suppressed on the way there. It might have been sick with something awful, and the ice was to keep it from getting worse. It might have been misbehaving, and put in stasis to keep people safe." Her gaze fell. "It... might have died, and someone was just desperate not to let it succumb to time." She closed her eyes. "...Or it might have just been put there by someone who didn't want to deal with it anymore."

Mitsuhide hummed. "You think you can figure out why it was put on ice without thawing it out?"

"If it was a matter of health, there should be outward signs," Oichi insisted. "I didn't really get a good look at it on the way here, I was panicking not to let it thaw. If I take a good look at it, I'll be able to tell. If the Pokémon itself isn't in danger, then we should be able to deal with whatever the real reason is."

"That's a good point," Gracia agreed. "That thing doesn't look like anything in Ransei, and Warriors can make Links to help calm Pokémon down. If it was made like that because of how it was acting, we'd be able to handle it fine."

Mitsuhide nodded. "Very well. Sounds like we have our itinerary."

+x+x+x+

The Nixtormers led Oichi, Wigglytuff, and Glaceon to the castle's cold-house - a structure far enough away from the castle that Oichi would reckon the battlefield would fit between them. Gracia was wearing her channel bracelets in preparation for the worst-case (the Cosmog were instructed to stay in the castle), and once they arrived, Mitsuhide turned to her. "Are we prioritizing getting a look, or keeping it cold?" he asked.

"Keeping it cold," Oichi proclaimed. "We don't take it out of here."

"Then you can't just study it until you know what's wrong with it," Mitsuhide insisted. "If a human is in here for much longer than half an hour, they'll start to suffer permanent damage." He stepped up to the door. "When you step in here, we count twenty minutes. If you're not already on your way out, we're going to come in and drag you out; then we need to warm you up before you try and go in again."

Oichi nodded. "That sounds fair."

"Gracia?"

"I've got the clock ready, Father," Gracia assured him.

"Okay." Mitsuhide whirled the lock open before seizing the door's handle. "Three, two, one..."

He pulled the door open; Oichi and Glaceon quickly dashed inside, whereas Wigglytuff got close and decided against it. Oichi didn't blame her; it was colder in here than anywhere in Nixtorm she knew, and if there were any doubts about the truth of Mitsuhide's words, they were quashed after three seconds in here. The door closed behind her; there was a handle on the inside of the door, but no locking mechanism, to prevent someone from trapping themselves in here due to damage to the inside.

Gracia kept her eye on the stopwatch, not letting her attention falter as the seconds ticked by. Mitsuhide took a seat on Lapras' back as they waited for Oichi to come out; the door hadn't even been disturbed before she clicked the button on the stopwatch, yelling, "Twenty minutes!"

Mitsuhide stepped forward, pulling the door open again; Wigglytuff yelled to Oichi inside, who promptly stumbled out, shivering fiercely as Glaceon followed her. Gracia tossed the stopwatch to Gothitelle before clapping her hands together, and psychic power wrapped them from her channel bracelets as she stepped up to Oichi, running her hands lightly over the Dragnoran and letting the energy stimulate her body. "Okay, let's get you inside," she insisted.

They made their way just into the castle; some of the servants had prepared hot drinks, and Oichi was about to drink her hot chocolate in one go before Gracia made her take it easy. "So, what's the verdict?" she asked once the healer was warm enough.

"No verdict yet," Oichi insisted. "That Pokémon is... unlike anything I've ever seen. It's bizarre, I don't have words for it."

"How do you mean?" Gracia asked.

"I don't know how to put it," Oichi admitted. "It's like... it was designed to be a Pokémon for everywhere. I had to try to understand its form before I could try and determine if something was wrong. It didn't look... natural."

"Not natural?" Mitsuhide set a hand on his chin. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Oichi looked to him. "You know something about this?"

"Not this one, and not firsthand, either." Mitsuhide crossed his arms. "Kenshin told me about something he'd come across - a floating rock in Illusio unlike any other." His words reminded Oichi of her brother's story about the Black Yang. "He said that there a Pokémon in there that didn't seem natural, that it seemed too... _human_."

"What do you mean, a Pokémon that seemed human?" Oichi asked.

"He said it seemed like it had been created in a human's image," Mitsuhide replied. "And it showed incredible power, but its behavior was... driven by emotion, rather than instinct. He wondered if it had been made by humans in some faraway region."

Gracia turned to Oichi. "You think...?"

"...I do," Oichi confirmed. "That Pokémon in stasis was made by humans somewhere - designed to be versatile in a way natural Pokémon aren't." She sighed. "Which makes me wonder if the stasis wasn't because the process went horribly wrong somewhere. I need to get another look."

"Finish your drink first," Gracia reprimanded. "Make sure you're warm properly again. Then we can give it another go."

+x+x+x+

Once Oichi was sufficiently re-warmed, they made their way back out to the cold-house; again did they make it methodical, and Oichi and Glaceon charged back in. Mitsuhide closed the door behind her, and Gracia started the clock, keeping her attention on it until twenty minutes had passed and then calling time for Oichi to come back out.

"Ok-k-kay," Oichi stuttered as Mitsuhide closed the door again. "I th-think I've g-g-got an idea of w-w-what that th-thing is like..."

Gracia struck her hands together again before running them over Oichi's body. "Save it until we're inside."

Once they were back in the castle, and Oichi was warmed enough that she wasn't stuttering, she explained her findings. "I don't think it's frozen because of some problem in its creation," she explained. "That Pokémon's body is solid and complete; whoever made it knew well enough what they were doing."

"So, is it wounded, or ill?" Mitsuhide asked. "Do we know if it's safe?"

"It's not wounded, I don't think," Oichi replied. "But I didn't look for signs of sickness. I just need one more look."

+x+x+x+

One last trip to observe the Pokémon. Gracia started the stopwatch for twenty minutes, yet this time they were only going on ten before Oichi pushed the door open, yelling in a panic; Glaceon charged after her, looking equally terrified.

"How did I miss that?" she screeched. "How- _How_ did I miss that the first two times!?"

"What's wrong?" Gracia asked, triggering her channels.

"It's wearing some kind of helmet," Oichi exclaimed. "There was something protruding just under it, around its neck. When I couldn't find signs of sickness, I thought maybe it had been impaled. But it's not. Its helmet was... It looks like..."

Gracia set her power-wrapped hands on Oichi's shoulders. "Calm down," she insisted. "Deep breaths."

Mitsuhide stepped up to her. "What did it look like?" he asked.

Oichi let Gracia's psychic hands stimulate her body, and took a deep breath before turning to Mitsuhide. "It... looked like the Alpha's rings," she explained.

"What?!"

"I-I don't think there's a direct connection," she insisted. "It wasn't _quite_ the same, there were a few differences that are noticeable if you've seen it. But..." She shook her head. "I just... I saw that, and..."

"...it brought back that memory," Mitsuhide finished for her.

Gracia shook her head. "Let's go inside," she insisted. "You've seen enough to know?"

"Y-Yeah," Oichi insisted. "I know enough."

+x+x+x+

"So," Gracia asked again, "what's the verdict?" Without needing to revisit the Pokémon in stasis, they had gone into the castle properly, and were warming themselves by the fire in the living room.

"It's not wounded, and it's not sick," Oichi observed. "At least not in any meaningful way. There's nothing wrong with it as far as I could tell." She shook her head. "But that gives us a different problem."

"How to take it out of stasis," Mitsuhide guessed.

Oichi nodded. "If I'm totally honest... stasis isn't something we can _do_ in Ransei. Not properly, not safely. That Pokémon was put in stasis in a region that's capable - and they would have been capable of taking it out. But Ransei doesn't have that wealth of knowledge - we don't know how to safely put Pokémon in stasis."

Mitsuhide crossed his arms. "Which begs the question of how we can safely take it out."

After a moment, Oichi glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. "It's getting late," she mused, getting to her feet. "I'm going to call it a night."

"It's not really that late," Gracia insisted. "You've just being going between hot and cold a lot, you're tired faster than you would be."

"I'm still going to bed," Oichi retorted.

"Fair."

Mitsuhide spoke up. "You should know, Oichi," he mused, drawing her attention. "I've, um... I asked Ramaru to send word out."

"...About Evia, you mean?" Oichi asked.

"Yes," the Warlord confirmed. "With her gone and this Pokémon having appeared, I wonder if it's not the only thing happening in Ransei. We're asking anyone who's experienced... strange happenings to send word to Dragnor, that we might be able to understand."

"I appreciate it," Oichi admitted. "Thank you, Mitsuhide."

She departed from the living room; Gracia waited for a moment after she was gone to make sure she was out of earshot, and then leaned forward to look at her father properly. "So?"

"Don't," Mitsuhide preempted.

"_Father_," Gracia objected.

"The peak being there means nothing," Mitsuhide insisted. "There's no significance to it whatsoever."

"Oh, come on!" Gracia protested. "You found the Winterbird up there the first time you went! You made a Link with a legendary Pokémon just like Lord Nobunaga!"

"And it departed as soon as the Link was forged," Mitsuhide reminded her. "Just because the mountain has appeared again, does not mean Articuno has as well."

Gracia shook her head. "That doesn't mean it's not worth looking at!" she insisted. "Come on, that's a Pokémon famous for doing powerful, creepy things with ice! It might help us get that Pokémon out of stasis!"

Mitsuhide set his hands on the arm of his chair. "Even if that's true," he proclaimed, "legendary Pokémon are fickle, and won't simply obey me. I can't go up there with an artificial Pokémon in stasis from another region and ask the Winterbird to thaw it."

"Lord Nobunaga asked **two** legendary Pokémon to help him take over Ransei and _challenge the Alpha!_" Gracia countered. "And they _both_ said yes!"

Her comment struck Mitsuhide silent.

Gracia slumped back into her seat. "Look, Father," she insisted, "if we wait for a really cold, stormy day, that Pokémon won't thaw if we take it out of the cold-house. We load it up on Lapras' heavy-duty cart and take it up the mountain with Oichi. Worst-case, the Winterbird says no, we bring it back and put it back in the cold house, no harm done."

"And suppose that Articuno says yes," Mitsuhide argued. "That Pokémon is freed from stasis. What do we achieve?"

"Lady Oichi has one less thing to worry about," Gracia said firmly.

Mitsuhide shook his head. "And you think it will be so much better when that Pokémon is safe, and she can focus on Evia's absence?"

"Was it any better when I stopped being sick so you could focus on Mother's?" Gracia returned.

The fireplace abruptly went out, and a chill swept the living room.

In an instant, Gracia felt that she'd gone too far in choosing to wake such old wounds. "I'm sorry," she insisted, "that was-"

"No," Mitsuhide interrupted. "You're right. It wasn't any better - not really. But it was what I needed." He folded his hands before him. "I let myself be distracted, and wouldn't come to terms with it until my distraction was gone." Then, raising his gaze to his daughter; "I hope that this is different - that Evia's absence isn't a sign that she is dead - but the longer Oichi avoids it, the harder it will be for her when she finally faces it."

+x+x+x+

Unbeknowst to them, Oichi was lying in bed contemplating that very notion.

"Tell me something, Glaceon," she mused, turning to the Eeveelution sitting beside the bed. "Do you really think she's gone?"

Glaceon closed his eyes.

"No, you're right," Oichi admitted. "A Link is a powerful bond. If she'd died in Aurora, that day, you wouldn't be unsure. But..." She shook her head. "Without knowing where she is, there's a lot more ambiguity. Resonating with a Link across a kingdom like Dragnor requires a very _powerful_ Link. She could be anywhere in Ransei - she could be anywhere _out_ of Ransei. I just..." She closed her eyes. "I don't know what could've happened to her."

After a moment, Glaceon gave an inquisitive cry.

"That's a good point," she conceded. "She's united Ransei twice now, everyone in the region should know her face. If she was just taken to another kingdom, we'd hear about it quickly." She furrowed her brow. "But what could have taken her?"

The Eeveelution opened his mouth.

"Don't even go there," Oichi reprimanded, glaring his way. "Even setting aside everything that doesn't add up with how I found Aurora, she wouldn't leave you behind like that of her own volition. You're her first Link. Do you have any idea what a precious bond that is?"

Glaceon sighed an icy breath, looking apologetic.

Oichi let her gaze go back skyward. "You're not the only one," she assured him.

* * *

Draco: Sorry, that went in a darker direction than I meant it to when I started the chapter.

Unrelated point. Maybe I'm just overly fond of Generation VI because that's where my disaster happened (now doesn't that look like a contradictory statement), but Pokémon Bank had a nice event when it launched relatively near the release of X and Y that I really wish had been echoed for Sun and Moon for a very stupid reason.

First availability of Pokémon Bank in your region (Dec in Japan, Jan in Japan if you had to wait for the relaunch, Feb elsewhere), until September if you happen to be late to the party. If you access Bank, you get a Legendary Pokémon at the lowest possible level that can have two digits. Okay, sorry, Mythical Pokémon. I keep forgetting those are technically separate categories.  
Now, if you happened to be the poor fool who got the game when it launched in October, became the Champion already, and are so apathetic that you can't appreciate a story twice, frick you very much, we don't need your kind, and you deserve to suffer an underlevelled Pokémon you can't use significantly.  
But if you're just starting your journey because you got the game as a Christmas present, or you're willing to start the game and enjoy it again, you have a useful addition to your team that will benefit you your entire journey.

Sun and Moon introduced a Legendary Pokémon that evolves, via friendship... and is received after you've become Champion. And despite the fact that I completely missed the breach of Generation VII and wouldn't have been able to receive it anyways, a gift Type: Null near the launch of Sun and Moon, at a low level like the gift Celebi for X and Y, would have been a much better idea than a Z-Crystal for a Mythical Pokémon that was only distributed to that Generation in two countries. Especially considering that you can't trade Z-Crystals. If they really wanted to give out Mewnium, it would've been a better idea to have a proper event distribution with a Wonder Card and everything.


	5. Nixtorm: A Type of Predator

Draco: **PRE-SUBMIT EDIT:** Increasing my update rate to Mondays and Thursdays because I remember there's a Doc count limit and I think I'm getting close to it. I haven't gotten close to that cap in ages. Also, if you're reading this and you're not offering reviews, I welcome you to do something about that; I'm always happy to hear feedback from my new readers (as long as you're not being an ass about it). **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT**

A lot of chapters in Nixtorm, I will admit. Not seeing a whole lot of Ransei as a whole. (I encourage you to hypothesize on why. I probably won't give you confirmation or denial, but I'm curious as to where you guys think I'm going with this.)

Unapologetic artistic license with the layout of the Icy Peak here, not gonna deny anything.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Nixtorm: A Type of Predator**

"Look at that snow..."

It had been a week since Oichi had returned to Nixtorm; research had once again proved futile, with none of the information in Nixtorm offering any clues as to how to free the stranger from the ice. On her way to the library, Oichi had taken notice of the storm raging outside; howling wind and flying snow were causing the windows to almost be blacked out.

She had just been about to resume when Gracia charged up to her. "Lady Oichi!"

"Gracia," Oichi returned. "What's the rush?"

"I wanted to find you before the snow cleared up," Gracia insisted. "You gotta get bundled up, find Wigglytuff and Glaceon..."

Her instructions gave away her intentions. "Hold up," Oichi demanded, "where are we going in this weather?"

Gracia smiled. "We have an idea about how to free that Pokémon," she explained. "Father's loading it up onto Lapras' cart, and you're gonna wanna be there if we're right. And if we run into something on the way, Wigglytuff and Glaceon can help us protect it."

Oichi's misgivings about the weather vanished in an instant. "You think we can... Okay, give me five minutes."

She dashed back towards her chamber, and Gracia started back the way she'd come before she noticed a pair of small Pokémon trying - and failing - to hide in the shadows. With a sigh, she set her hands on her hips. "You guys are gonna come with us whether we let you or not, huh?"

The Cosmog emerged from behind the statues with cheerful cries.

Gracia shook her head with a grin. "Fine, let me get my big hat."

+x+x+x+

Once Oichi was dressed in the heaviest layers she had, she, Wigglytuff, Glaceon, Gracia, and the Cosmog made their way outside to find Mitsuhide, Lapras, and Gothitelle had managed to safely get the Pokémon in stasis onto the cart. Lapras was confident in her ability to carry them all, and so the entourage proceeded to ride off, towards a towering icy peak - one that seemed to _glisten_ even in the storm.

As they reached the mountain's base, Oichi quickly realized this was no normally snowy mountain; the ice had an _elegance_ to it, and although there had been a few sparse wild Pokémon attacking the cart on their way, there were none upon this slope. Curious, she started towards the front of the cart, getting the attention of Mitsuhide - who was sitting upon Lapras' back.

"So," she asked, trying her best not to sound confrontational and still be heard over the wind, "how many other Warlords thought Aurora didn't deserve to know that they'd found legendary Pokémon?"

Mitsuhide turned to her abruptly. "Excuse me?" he asked. "What are you talking ab-"

"Father," Gracia reprimanded.

The Warlord sighed resignedly, and Oichi smirked. "You, Nobunaga, Kenshin, Shingen..."

"I never talked to Shingen about whether he'd encountered a legendary Pokémon," Mitsuhide reprimanded.

"No," Oichi admitted, "but if Shingen or Kenshin forged a Link with a legendary Pokémon and the other hadn't, I guarantee all of Ransei would know."

"...Fair," Mitsuhide conceded.

Oichi shook her head. "I hope you didn't find something up here that just kicked up snow with wind," she warned.

Mitsuhide shook his head. "No," he insisted. "When we first scaled this peak, I found the Winterbird atop it." He turned back to the path. "If Articuno can't unmake this stasis, we'll never see it freed unless Time itself appears in Ransei."

Glaceon gave a concerned cry.

"No," Mitsuhide admitted, "I wouldn't want to try our chances with Time or Space, either."

In time, they reached the mountain's peak; the falling snow was especially thick up here, such that none of them could see more than a sword's swing away from the cart. Mitsuhide knew that there was a massive frozen lake here, in a broad _U_ shape; Gothorita lifted the strange Pokémon off the cart, and the three Warlords slowly brought it forward until it was resting in the center of the arc.

Gracia and Oichi both stepped back, and Mitsuhide drew his katana from Lapras' back, stepping before the Pokémon in stasis and then holding it forward over the lake.

"Winterbird, you have graced me once, and offered me your Link, an honour I did not deserve. If that Link still holds true, please, hear my words. I ask your gales grace us once again, that we might spare this poor creature from suffering for our unknowing."

He grasped his blade before him in two hands, and then raised it skyward.

"Come forth! Articuno, on wings of ice!"

The clouds parted above the peak - and Oichi stumbled as she saw it flying there. Articuno was a beauty in icy blue, diamond dust trailing from its wings as it slowly descended; the storm no longer raged atop this peak, and even the wind had been reduced to a whisper.

Mitsuhide turned his katana in hand, setting its tip into the snow at his side as he fell to one knee. He raised one hand - and despite the lack of words, Oichi knew in an instant he was speaking to the Winterbird as one could only do with a Link to a legendary Pokémon. This was distinct from the way he would speak to Lapras; it was not a command, but a request, sharing the circumstances and all he knew and trusting Articuno to make its own decision. She had seen Evia and Nobunaga both do it before - but it had been in the rage of battle, offering their tactical acumen, and she never thought she would see it outside of that fierce war.

A threatening moment of quiet, save for the rush of wingbeats.

Then Articuno cried out, swooping forward. Oichi dreaded it was attacking before its talons connected with the body of the Pokémon in stasis - and it did not set its weight upon its frigid form, but closed its grip upon it without pressure. Then the Winterbird swept its wings down, and a mist began to emerge around the Pokémon; Oichi realized the ice was being freed of its form, not melting but _sublimating_, going directly from invasive solid to frigid air around it. Articuno's wings came up again as the colour started to return to the Pokémon, its stasis ending; the moment it started to show signs of life, the Winterbird's talons parted, and its wings came back down with a gale, propelling it into the air as it soared away once more.

Oichi heard a reverberating breath, and realized it was the newly-freed Pokémon; its mask was not part of it, not innately, and so was designed to facilitate its need to breathe. The mask itself was of a dark bronze hue, with strange intents in the joints of its suspicious rings, and there was a binding on the Pokémon's plume connected to it; the Pokémon's own body was of a black colour, with its forelimbs metallic and dull silver. Its mane and plume were a dark grey, with a protrusion of the same make as its limbs at the fore of the latter; its aquatic tail was of a deep blue, with pale aqua veins filling its breadth. The pedestal it had been standing on was a box of deep red, with latches along one rim and handles on the narrow ends.

For a long moment, it stood there immobile, and the three Warlords and their Pokémon observed it silently. Mitsuhide kept his blade at the ready; Oichi's grip was tight on her staff, and Gracia slowly reached into her pockets to draw out her channel bracelets.

Her hat shook, and the Cosmog cried out from beneath it.

The Pokémon promptly turned to face her, giving a cry distorted by its helmet as it clambered off the box it stood upon; aggression was clear in the sound nonetheless, and Oichi immediately moved between her and it. As the Pokémon took an aggressive stance, the Dragnoran raised her free hand - and a shining glow emerged between her and the newly-freed stranger.

A gasp escaped her lips; there was something _different_ about this Link.

Slowly, she started to step forward, willing the Link to forge. The Pokémon seemed confused, pulling back but not relaxing its stance; the glow between them maintained a central distance, gradually getting stronger and brighter as Oichi neared it. When she was near enough that it could have raised its claws and swept at her, for a moment she feared it would, and she hesitated just a moment from making contact with its helmet.

Silence atop the peak once more.

Then she reached forward, setting her hand against the base of its plume; the glow coursed through them both, solidifying the Link between Warrior and Pokémon. It finally relaxed its stance, and Oichi breathed a sigh of relief, letting her hand run gently over its face.

Once Gracia was sure the Pokémon wasn't going to attack her, she seized her hat, drawing it off her head to let the Cosmog out. "Thanks for the heart attack, you two!" she reprimanded.

Mitsuhide stepped forward. "Quick thinking, Oichi," he praised. "I hadn't thought to try and Link with it."

"Nor _should_ you have," Gracia observed. "Oichi found it, she should get the first opportunity to-"

"What's wrong with you?"

Oichi's terrified muttering had both of the Nixtormers turning back to face her; she still had her attention on the newly-Linked Pokémon. "What is it?" Gracia asked.

"It's like... its consciousness is buried," Oichi observed. "Like it has nothing but its instincts..."

Mitsuhide glanced around. "Let's get back to the castle before we try and determine what's wrong."

"Y-Yeah," Oichi agreed. "Wigglytuff, can you get that..."

The strange box the Pokémon had been standing on looked important enough; Wigglytuff nodded, stepping towards the handle on one end as Mitsuhide seized the other; it was much lighter than it seemed for its size, although broad enough that one person or one Pokémon would be hard-pressed to keep it balanced off the ground, and they brought it over to the cart as Oichi led the strange Pokémon over.

Gracia followed suit, the Cosmog trailing behind her. "I hope it can eat something through that helmet," she mused. "I don't think we have anything liquid that would work as a proper meal."

+x+x+x+

The return trip to the castle was largely uneventful, save for a brief encounter with a trio of Pawniard. Despite its subdued consciousness, the strange Pokémon was all too eager to fight them - and it had a grip with the claws of its forelegs that could break a rapier, which sent the wild Pokémon fleeing in short order.

Once they were back safe, Oichi tried to get a proper look at the Pokémon now that keeping it cold was no longer a concern. Despite its unnatural construct, the Pokémon wasn't particularly restricted in its movement, although its helmet was _horrifically_ heavy; there was a gap in the underside of the mask just enough for it to open its mouth wide, prompting Mitsuhide to send for a serving of Ponigiri.

There was also writing on the mask, situated on the binding of the Pokémon's plume.

"_Type: Null Berserk Inhibition Helmet,_" Oichi read aloud.

"Type: Null?" Gracia echoed, turning to the Pokémon with concern. "Is that your name?"

The Pokémon gave a low cry that seemed to confirm.

The Cosmog exchanged uncertain glances as Gracia shook her head. "Who would make a Pokémon like this and give it a name like _Null_?" she murmured.

Mitsuhide crossed his arms. "Inhibition," he mused. "Meaning, it's suppressing something?"

"Is that what's wrong with you?" Oichi murmured. "If I..."

She reached down towards the rim of the helmet - and Type: Null promptly cried out in protest, shaking violently and causing Oichi to stumble back. It turned to her and gave a low cry of protest, and Oichi took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she insisted. "If you don't want that removed..."

Gracia hummed worriedly. "What about that box that it was standing on?" she asked. "Maybe there's something in there that can tell us what's up."

Oichi nodded, stepping towards the large case. The Ponigiri arrived while she brought it towards the light, and Gracia accepted a couple before trying to offer them to Type: Null. The breadth of its helmet made it awkward to get them where its mouth could open on them, but it accepted the food without complaint as the box was set down. Carefully, Oichi undid the clasps and lifted the lid open.

Inside were _discs_ \- seventeen discs in thin, transparent plastic cases, each case placed in a cushioned slot, spaced so far apart that there was no risk of them colliding with each other. The slots were set into a soft foam along the bottom of the case, and the top was lined with the same to further offer them protection; whoever had made this thing had valued these discs enough that they were taking no chances. Each disc was of a different colour, but with a protective grip upon them of some dark grey rubber, designed to let them be seized by other than around the ridge without risking their contents. The slots were arrayed nine-by-two; where an eighteenth disc would have fit, there was a molded plastic square that was adhered to the inside surface of the case itself, with lettering upon it.

"What's this?" Oichi murmured, squinting to try and read it; whoever had cast it clearly hadn't accounted for the difficulty of reading molded script on black plastic. "_RKS Memory Programs for use with Type: Full._"

"Full?" Mitsuhide echoed.

Oichi pulled back, turning to the Pokémon that Gracia was feeding. "Type: Null... and Type: Full." She shook her head. "That can't be a coincidence."

Gracia turned to her, shaking her hands to fling the last crumbs of Ponigiri from them. "Full sounds a lot nicer than Null," she admitted.

"It does," Oichi admitted. Then, closing the box. "But... I wouldn't even know what to do with these."

Mitsuhide crossed his arms. "Why would they put Type: Null into stasis with something meant for Type: Full?"

After a moment, Gracia's gaze shot up. "Oichi, didn't you say that... someone might have put it into stasis because they didn't want to deal with it anymore?"

Oichi turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Gracia turned to Type: Null, who was looking at them inquisitively. "What if, when they were trying to create an artificial Pokémon, they were gonna call it Full... if they got it right? And when they got it wrong..."

"They decided to call it Null instead," Mitsuhide finished.

Oichi stepped up to the Pokémon. "Is that why they put you in stasis?" she murmured, setting a hand on its helm again. "Did they deem you a failure, and condemn you to be forgotten?"

She leaned forward, setting her forehead against its surface. "You poor thing...

+x+x+x+

The next day, the weather was clear; Oichi decided to head to Dragnor, taking Wigglytuff, Glaceon, and Type: Null with her.

"Are you sure you don't want to stick around a little longer?" Gracia asked.

"I appreciate the offer," Oichi insisted, "but if Ranmaru was the one who asked everyone to report anomalies, they'll be sending the reports to him. I want to be there when they arrive." She glanced at Type: Null, who seemed a little restless. "Besides, the Cosmog don't seem to be very fond of Null. Best not keep anyone on edge."

"I suppose," Gracia conceded. "Hope you hear about Lady Evia soon."

Oichi nodded. "So do I."

Gracia started back into the castle, and Oichi turned to face the trio of Pokémon that would accompany her. "Look at this little convoy," she mused to Wigglytuff as they started off. "I look like one of those Trainers that Brother told me about from his travels outside of Ransei.

Wigglytuff gave an inquisitive cry.

"That's a good question," Oichi admitted. "How well _did_ Hydreigon last against a whole team of six?"

* * *

Draco: Don't have much to say about this one, but here's Null's info.

Type: Null  
-Range: 2  
-Move: Crush Claw  
-Ability: Battle Armour  
Evolution condition - improve Link

Crush Claw (Normal)  
-Attack area: single tile in front  
-Effect: 1-stage Defense reduction (50% chance)

Considering the reason for the evolution is that it breaks the mask in response to finding someone it can trust, I'm tempted to say that would be a very _low_ Link threshold... but I don't think I'm gonna treat it that way because I have a dramatic evolution circumstance in mind.


	6. Dragnor: Anomalies Abundant

Draco: **PRE-SUBMIT EDIT:** Okay, a couple addenda to my request that I would like my readers to review. (A) That does NOT mean that I want you to review the same chapter multiple times just because you don't have an account and FFN doesn't track guests like that. [I might be mistaken, but two reviews in quick succession labelled "Guest" both lacking grammatical acumen look suspicious.] (B) Asking questions about future events in my story is not going to get you any answers because I refuse to offer spoilers. (C) In the event that you do ask a question I'm willing to answer, you need to be logged in so that I can reply to your review with a PM. (D) Making suggestions for what will happen in my story is an exercise in futility. **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT**

I don't know how to say this without sounding foolish, but I got a YouTube ad for Sword/Shield that thoroughly impressed me in ways I didn't expect it to. Whenever Pokémon acknowledges its history from the 8-bit era like that, I'm always left impressed.

...Depending on how old that ad is, you might be wondering why I've only seen that somewhat recently. Suffice to say, I _don't watch trailers_. I spoilered myself rotten on a game years ago watching trailers and then looking into elements therefrom, and henceforth the only trailers I watch are those that play before a movie when I go to the theater, and those that YouTube doesn't let me skip.

Quick reminder that I've already established the Dragnor battlefield to be an _I_ tetromino rather than the game's _Z_-block.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Dragnor: Anomalies Abundant**

When Oichi and her entourage arrived at Dragnor Castle, Ranmaru and Lucario were waiting for her.

"Lady Oichi!" Ranmaru greeted. "I wasn't expecting you to come here after a development like this." Then, turning to the Pokémon at her side; "And this is...?"

Oichi nodded. "Ranmaru, Type: Null. Null, Ranmaru."

Null gave a neutral-sounding cry as Ranmaru narrowed his gaze. "Null?" There was obvious concern in his tone.

"Yeah," Oichi confirmed. "Let's head inside."

+x+x+x+

"That's dreadful..."

After hearing what they had discovered, and what Gracia's had hypothesized, Ranmaru could only pity the Pokémon she had found. "Does that mean that your bringing him here...?"

"Yes," Oichi admitted. "I was hoping to get a better sense of what he can do - in a proper Warrior-to-Warrior battle." She set a hand on Null's mane. "With the way his consciousness is buried like this... I can't just make assumptions based on battles with wild Pokémon."

"I'm sure we can oblige you," Ranmaru conceded. Lucario gave a growl of agreement.

Oichi smiled. "I appreciate it."

+x+x+x+

Wigglytuff and Glaceon elected to stay behind as Oichi, Ramaru, Lucario, and Type: Null made their way to the Dragnor battlefield; the nodes were left disabled, and the Warriors positioned themselves and their Pokémon at half the battlefield's length away from each other.

Ranmaru drew out one of his triangle blades to be mounted on his bracelets. "Shall we do this properly," he asked, "or shall we let them fight for now?"

"Let them fight," Oichi insisted.

"Very well." Ranmaru pocketed his blade, turning to Lucario. "Not too hard, then, alright?" Lucario nodded in confirmation.

Oichi stroked Null's mane lightly before pulling back. "As the defender," she mused, "you'll mark the start."

Ranmaru nodded, stepping back to give the Pokémon room to fight. "...Begin!"

Lucario fought the urge to blitz forward at that proclamation; this wasn't a battle proper, this was just an assessment of Null's ability. Oichi swept a hand forth, and Null charged forward; his movement wasn't particularly fast, limited by the weight of his helmet. Lucario drew his hands back, and aura began to well in his grip; Null continued to charge at him full-bodied all the same, and when he made to throw the Aura Sphere, Oichi swung her hand back and closed her fist. Null promptly shifted his body to take the blow over a wider surface area, skidding slightly from its inertia.

The strike connected with Null's side, and Lucario recognized the reflexive reaction of a Pokémon taking a hit at a type disadvantage; the impact of the blow cancelled out his slide and forced him back a bit for good measure, but Null promptly turned to charge once again. Once he was within melee range, Oichi swung her hand down, and Null gave a fierce cry as he swept his left claws forward; Lucario met the strike on one arm and found a crushing force in the swipe. The blow itself didn't hit as hard as it might have against a Riolu, but it did laugh at any attempts to lessen its impact, and Lucario was forced to leap away.

"Stop!" Oichi called out; Null turned to her with an aggravated cry, and the Warlord shook her head. "I've seen enough."

She tapped her staff to the floor beneath her, and a soft light washed over Null and Lucario, easing their wounds. As she stepped forward, Null made to meet her; she stroke its mane lightly as Ranmaru spoke up. "You were..."

"The hand motions?" Oichi prempted. She hadn't expected him to miss it.

"I've never seen you command a Link like that," Ranmaru observed. "It's almost seems... inexperienced."

"That's because it's based on something inexperienced," Oichi admitted. "When Evia first became a Warlord, she was commanding Eevee like that; she was so unused to battle that she needed to give conscious command for it to reach him. It made fighting against another Warrior harder than it could have been."

Ranmaru crossed his arms. "Then why would you do so with Null?"

Oichi sighed, turning to the Pokémon at her side. "Because when I didn't, and I wanted Null to change its course... he didn't hear me."

"I was wondering why he kept charging straight at a super-effective Aura Sphere," Ranmaru admitted.

"Yes," Oichi sighed. "With his mind suppressed, he doesn't react to subtle instruction like I'm used to. I need something more... solid. Even if he isn't seeing me, the motions require more focus, and that helps my commands reach him."

"You realize that's going to take some getting used to," Ranmaru warned.

"I do."

+x+x+x+

Oichi spent two weeks in Dragnor, trying to get used to fighting alongside Type: Null. She'd spend her days in the Dragon Chamber, training with the monks and trying to accustom herself to giving hand-motion commands; in the afternoon, she'd return to Dragnor Castle, and she and Null would spar with Ranmaru and one of the Dragonair (one proper fight with Lucario had revealed the type advantage to be a bit... insurmountable). And every night, when she retired, she prayed - to whoever would hear her - that Evia was alright.

Then the reports started coming in.

+x+x+x+

_Dear Ranmaru,  
__Please offer Oichi my condolences for Evia's disappearance. I'm afraid to admit that she's not the only one to have vanished recently. Okuni departed on one of her leisurely journeys some three weeks ago; the length of her absence is nothing new, but her first destination was for Valora, yet Ina tells me she never arrived. I shall keep my eye out for the Auroran; I ask you keep yours out for my junior Warlord.  
Love,  
~N__ōhime_

_Ranmaru of Dragnor;  
Your request to hear of any disturbances would seem creepily prescient if it hadn't been prompted by an existing disturbance. A Pokémon appeared on the Viperia shore unlike anything I'd ever seen before; Hanzō and his Gengar were the only ones who managed to deal it any sort of damage. They weren't able to defeat it - it seemed to vanish into thin air. Here's hoping that you haven't run into anything nearly so dreadful.  
~Nene of Viperia_

_Ranmaru;  
Wanderer Keiji here! I know that's not the name you were expecting from Yaksha, but it's the one you're talking to. Kotar__ō's up and vanished off the face of the kingdom. I know it's not the first time it's happened - guy's crazier than a pack of Sneasel, doesn't give much of a damn about a Warlord's duties - but just thought you should know. If he shows up in Dragnor, give him a backhand and a talking-to for me, will ya?  
Thanks in advance  
~Keiji_

_Hey, Ranmaru,  
You ain't got any business worryin' about Evia. That girl's not going down from anything shy of Hatched Destruction. Besides which, I've got my own problems to deal with in Cragspur. Weird-ass Pok__émon showed up out of nowhere on the kingdom battlefield while the Avians had come for a match. Most of my Warriors and half of Masamune's put up about as much fight as gravel. Kai looked like she landed a pretty good hit, but I don't think she knocked it out or we would've found it afterwards. At least it made the shortstop back off.  
~Ujiyasu  
_

_Ranmaru of Dragnor;  
As much as I would like to sympathize with your fear for Evia's disappearance, I'm afraid we have our own difficulties to endure. A most unusual Pok__émon appeared in Violight's Sky Garden while Muneshige and I were there; it showed most unusual power, and we were hard-pressed to do any lasting damage. I feared the worst before it disappeared amidst its own voltage. (I am ashamed to say that it awoke most unpleasant memories.) I hope it is the last thing to distract us, that we might search for Evia properly.  
~Ginchiyo of Violight_

_Hello, Ranmaru!  
If you want to hear about strange things happening, I'm afraid I don't have much to say. You know those kids, Mitsunari, Masanori, and Kiyomasa? They arrived in Chrysalia for a game of Pok__émari, and then left for Pugilis. Oddly enough, when I asked Yoshihiro about it, he said they'd never come by. I guess they must have changed their minds and gone elsewhere. If you and Oichi want to take your mind off things, you're welcome to join me for Pok__émari!  
~Yoshimoto_

_Ranmaru of Dragnor;  
Evia's disappearance seems to have been the cue for orchestrations most unpleasant. A dreadful Pok__émon appeared on the border between Greenleaf and Fontaine while Motonari and I made to spar. It ate my shamisen whole. Would that I could claim we managed to drive it away, let alone best it, but it vanished between beats as we tried to fight it. Motonari theorizes that it may have appeared in response to Evia's disappearance. It is my hope that the opposite will also hold true.  
~Motochika of Fontaine_

+x+x+x+

"Did you ever feel so worried?"

Ranmaru's question as he approached Oichi had the healer turning to him in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You told me that you often found Lady Evia idle on the balconies at night," Ranmaru observed, coming up beside her. "Did you ever feel so worried for her?"

"Only rarely," Oichi mused, turning back to the view. "It was usually caused by more than seeing her on the balcony, though." Dragnor's castle was a three-floor design that had a prominent balcony circling the entire second floor, with a smaller balcony in the Warlord Chamber on the west side. At this late hour, Wigglytuff and Type: Null were deep asleep, but Oichi and Glaceon had often found themselves restless and come out here under the moon; Oichi wasn't terribly surprised Ranmaru had noticed her out here.

The acting Warlord leaned against the balcony, folding his hands together. "It's not just her absence anymore, is it?" he asked.

"It hasn't been since I got here, honestly," Oichi admitted. "I'm worried about her, but I'm also worried about Null. I've never seen a Pokémon suppressed like that. And now with this news coming in - Warriors and Warlords going missing, strange Pokémon appearing and attacking and then vanishing..." She shook her head. "I'm scared of what's happening to Ransei."

"You're not alone," Ranmaru assured her. "I'm sure everyone in Ransei is scared of what's happening. Lord Nobunaga feared Ransei would be torn apart from within; he never imagined it might suffer such terrors as this."

Oichi looked out towards the horizon. "Did Nobunaga ever tell you what he'd do?" she asked. "If he united Ransei, and the Alpha had appeared to him, like it did to Evia? He was so convinced that the legend was _just_ a legend, but... did he account for the possibility that it was true?"

Ranmaru nodded. "He did," he added. "If the Alpha was some unjust creator, who treated Ransei as its plaything, he would have done his damnedest to strike the Alpha down - and free Ransei of that fear." His gaze drifted towards the north end of Dragnor, where the Tower of Infinity had appeared on each occasion Evia had united Ransei - and vanished each time she and those who accompanied her had departed from it, leaving only a cave so shallow that shadows could not obscure anything within. "But if it was a benevolent creator, who had made Ransei not knowing what path its people would take... he would have bid it depart. And he would tell people that when he united Ransei, no legendary Pokémon appeared to him."

He turned to Oichi. "Why do you ask?"

"...I'm just desperate," Oichi admitted. "With everything that's happening... I'm starting to wonder if desperate measures aren't required. If we were... to..."

She trailed off, and Ranmaru was startled by what she was proposing. "You think that these events are such that-"

"Ranmaru." There was a sudden dread in Oichi's voice that told him her train of thought had been derailed with vehemence. "Do you see that?"

The acting Warlord followed her gaze - and he did see it. The castle of Nixtorm was visible from that of Dragnor - in the daylight. So there was much cause for concern that they could see said castle in a different light - a light that shone bright and then vanished, at irregular intervals.

"What is that?"

Both Dragnorans pulled away from the the railing and traded glances, knowing they couldn't stand idle.

"Get Null.

"Get the blimp."

* * *

Draco: Sorry not sorry.


	7. Nixtorm: Beasts Running Wild

Draco: Okay, seven chapters of buildup. Time for a #WhamShot or two.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Nixtorm: Beasts Running Wild**

The winds were in their favour; Oichi, Ranmaru, Lucario, Wigglytuff, Glaceon, and Type: Null arrived in Nixtorm at record pace, finding the blasts of light to originate from the castle battlefield. The light was borne of flames - the blimp landed just outside the battlefield, and Oichi and Wigglytuff led the charge to find Mitsuhide, Gracia, Lapras, and Gothitelle already looking quite worn.

Standing in the center of the battlefield was a Pokémon the likes of which Oichi had never seen. Its body was humanoid, but unusually slender; its feet, which seemed almost like high heels, seemed to be connected to its legs at _points_, and its arms had an eerie flexiblity to them. Its torso was striped yellow and pink, with pink arms ending in frilled white hands that tapered to points; at first she thought it had a frilled white neck, but then she realized that it had _no neck at all_, for its head was a dotted white sphere that rolled freely upon that frill, showing off the pink starbursts on either side. It had a white sphere on its midsection on one side, and another on its waist on the other; the latter seemed to be its back, for on Oichi's arrival it turned around before _screeching_ at them.

Oichi slammed her staff to the ground, wrapping Lapras and Gothitelle in healing light and drawing Mitsuhide and Gracia's attention. "Oichi!"

"Get out of here!" Oichi yelled as Wigglytuff dashed forward.

The Pokémon screeched at her before sweeping its hands forward; a ball of flame flew from between them, and Wigglytuff stood her ground as it blast in five directions, melting the snow in a 大 around her and igniting the grass beneath it. The fire had an intensity to it that Oichi had never seen before; yet as soon as the impact wore off, Wigglytuff **shouted** in retaliation, the soundwave of her Hyper Voice extinguishing the fires around her and slamming into the Pokémon.

The attacker didn't react.

Null's yell from behind her caused Oichi to leap aside as he charged into the battlefield, followed promptly by Ranmaru, Lucario, and Glaceon coming up to Oichi's side. The unfamiliar Pokémon turned towards Null as he approached; when it brought its hands together, Null leapt at it in retaliation, slamming a Crush Claw into its arms that dealt no meaningful damage, but diverted its flame even so. Lapras promptly hit it from the side with an Ice Beam, and Gothitelle was making to follow through when something strange happened.

The Pokémon _flickered_.

"What the-!?" Oichi started. "What is it...?"

Null didn't care, slamming another Crush Claw into it to keep the Pokémon's attention. It moved its hands forward for another Fire Blast - but it flickered again, and the flames seemed to vanish in the middle of it, leaving its attack extinguished. Gothitelle's Future Sight started to manifest around it, yet the attack hadn't made contact before it flickered once more, and this time it vanished entirely, leaving the psychic power to converge in the air where it had been with a ferocious _crack_.

Oichi turned to Gracia and Mitsuhide, who didn't look like they were in a totally better situation than their Pokémon; she promptly dashed towards them, staff at the ready. "Are you two alright?" she demanded; a singe on the side of Gracia's top caused her to reach her staff forward, letting a trickle of water fall onto the junior Warlord.

"Cold cold cold cold!" Gracia yelped. "W-We're fine. Mostly. Let's just get inside."

"Yeah," Oichi agreed. "That sounds like a good idea."

+x+x+x+

The Nixtormers _were_ mostly fine, but they did have a few burns that had gone ignored through the adrenaline; only once they had been soaked and bandaged did Oichi bother to ask, "What was that thing?"

"We have no idea," Mitsuhide insisted. "A patrol noticed it when it appeared at the battlefield and started to set the battlefield on fire."

Oichi blinked. "What do you mean 'appeared'?"

Gracia shook her head. "He said it wasn't there one second, and then it was the next second," she explained. "And then the next things were on fire."

Ranmaru turned to Oichi. "A strange Pokémon, appearing and attacking..."

"...and then vanishing," she finished.

"What the heck was up with Null, though?" Gracia asked. "It's like... when he saw that thing, he automatically wanted to get rid of it. And when he attacked, that thing started to flicker."

"Null's blows didn't seem to be doing damage," Mitsuhide insisted. "I don't think he had to do with that Pokémon's disappearance."

"Nor do I," Ranmaru confirmed. "It's not the first Pokémon to have done that. Reports have come in from all over Ransei about strange attackers. Like you've said, they've appeared and started attacking, and then they've disappeared without being defeated."

A shimmering cry drew his attention; the Cosmog flew into the medicinal hall, looking worried, and Gracia promptly sat upright. "Cosmog! Thank the Wuji you guys didn't come in the middle of things!"

Ranmaru turned to Oichi. "Are these...?"

"Yeah," Oichi confirmed.

Mituhide turned to them. "You said other kingdoms have experienced Pokémon like that?" he asked. "Are you sure they didn't suffer too badly?"

"The reports came from Nene, Ujiyasu, Ginchiyo, and Motochika," Oichi explained. "They said that none of the battles hadn't gone well, but the Pokémon disappeared without any lasting repercussions." She shook her head. "If only that were all. Evia's not the only Warrior to have gone missing. Okuni, Kotarō, Mitsunari, Masanori, Kiyomasa - they're all unaccounted for.

"Five others?" Mitsuhide crossed his arms. "What in Earthen Order is going on?"

+x+x+x+

Oichi had never known restlessness like she experienced that night. Lying in her bed in one of the Warriors' rooms and trying to sleep was fruitless. The weather was clear enough for her to stargaze at the balcony, yet it did nothing to help her; her mind was racing from everything that was happening across Ransei. She knew this probably wasn't doing her much good - with this state of restlessness, she would be yet to sleep when the sun rose.

A cry from below drew her attention earthward, and she was surprised to find Type: Null standing there - with the Cosmog.

"Null? What are you-?" The Cosmog started to fly off, and Null seemed about to chase after them before she swept her hand back. "I knew I was right to take you with me to Dragnor," she muttered. "Leave them alone, they're not..."

The Cosmog stopped a short distance away, and turned back towards Null before crying out - and Null started after them again.

"What?" Oichi started. "Where are you all going?"

She glanced around the balcony, finding a tree just tall enough to reach over the railing; she grabbed her staff and mounted the railing before starting to climb down. With Null's pace, she was grounded before he was too far off; she started after them, finding them running off towards the southern shore of Nixtorm.

The Cosmog noticed Oichi following and redoubled their pace - by the time they'd stopped, it was Null chasing Oichi and not the other way around. The healer panted for a moment, leaning against her staff in an effort to catch her breath before glaring at the two. "What are you two doing?" she asked. "Running off at this hour? You're gonna give Gracia a scare, you know?"

One of the Cosmog cried at her.

"What?" Oichi pushed herself to stand upright. "What do you mean, you're going to help with that? Things are happening all over the region, how could you-?"

Both of them started to move - and Oichi found their gaseous bodies suddenly emitting a mist that looked like stardust. She stepped back, surprised, as they moved around one another in circles; after a moment, the mist started to gather over the water at Nixtorm's edge. Then, suddenly, light - a line of light manifested in the mist, like a seam had been opened between Oichi and something radiant - and she stepped back in surprise.

"...Stop..."

The Cosmog continued to move, and the seam started to open just a little wider.

"_Stop!_"

At Oichi's yell, the two of them stopped moving; the mist started to thin out, and with it, the crack closed once again.

The healer looked between them, and suddenly, the night's chill had a new intensity. "What was that?" she asked. "Were you...?"

Despite looking a bit more tired than they had been when they started, both of the Cosmog cheered.

"...You can do what?"

+x+x+x+

"They can do _what?!_"

Ranmaru and Gracia were incredulous at the news Oichi arrived with when she returned in the early hours of the morning. "You mean to tell me that these events have been the Cosmog's doing all along?" Ranmaru demanded.

"Not their _doing_," Oichi insisted. "The Warriors who have been disappearing, and the strange Pokémon that are attacking... it's all happening from the same place, more or less. And the Cosmog can open a... a gateway to that place."

"And what _is_ that place?" Gracia asked.

"I don't know," Oichi admitted. "But... the light that appeared before I stopped them from opening the gate was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Not even on the Tower of Infinity. Those Pokémon that have been appearing... I think they're from another world."

"Another _world_?" Gracia echoed. "Is that even a thing?"

"It's not impossible," Ranmaru admitted. "Certain legendary Pokémon like Time and Space are said to reside in worlds completely apart from our own. Perhaps the Cosmog weren't responsible, but I can't help but wonder if their appearance here might have been some sort of herald of the events. If they have the power to open this gateway..."

Oichi shook her head. "I have to go through," she proclaimed. "Evia, Null, the attackers - the answers are all on the other side of that gate."

Gracia's gaze shot up. "You're _not_ going alone. I'm coming, too."

The healer turned to her. "Gracia..."

"If the Cosmog are the only ones who can open the gate," Gracia insisted, "they've gotta go through with you - otherwise they won't know when you need to come back. You can't look for answers with Null and still stop them from getting in trouble."

"And I'm coming as well," Ranmaru added. "I can't in good conscience let you search for answers and risk ending up no better than Lady Evia."

Oichi sighed. "Thank you, both of you." She shook her head. "The Cosmog seemed drained by the attempt; we can't just ask them to go for it again right away. Let's make preparations. I'm gonna head to Aurora and send Brother back to Dragnor while I arm myself."

Ranmaru nodded. "A wise suggestion," he agreed. "I'll see how much I can pack and still carry. We have no idea how long we'll be gone."

"Pack," Gracia remembered. "We should remember to bring those discs."

"The ones for Type: Full?" Oichi asked.

Gracia nodded. "If we find out something about Full on the other side of the gate, do you wanna be empty-handed? I'm gonna make sure the Cosmog rest up in the meantime."

"Right," Ranmaru agreed. "Let's meet in Dragnor at the end of the month - at the cave where the Tower of Infinity would stand."

"Sounds like a plan," Oichi agreed.

She took off to collect Glaceon and Wigglytuff; Ranmaru left to take Lucario back to Dragnor. Gracia was on her way to the room where the Cosmog were resting when Mitsuhide crossed her path.

"Gracia," he mused. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Father," Gracia insisted. "I'm just checking on the Cosmog. Oichi said they ran into something weird last night."

Mitsuhide started. "Not another-?"

Gracia shook her head. "Nothing like that," she assured him. "Just that they were out in the cold while she was trying to sleep."

"You're sure nothing happened?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Yeah, Oichi was with them." Gracia quickly realized this conversation was running onto thin ice. "It was nothing."

The Warlord raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

"Whole lotta nothing."

* * *

Draco: So, I know just about every other Pokémon in Ransei with a signature move has a signature move as its only move, but Blacephalon's signature move deals **50%** of its **max** HP in recoil _rounded up_, as long as there are Pokémon in range (even if it missed or hit a Flash Fire) so if it had Mind Blown as its only offensive option it wouldn't be able to hit twice. I'm not doing that.


	8. Dragnor: Into the Unknown

Draco: Is it obvious I recently saw Frozen II? I'm not even sorry.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Dragnor: Into the Unknown**

"You're going to stay here?"

The time was approaching that Oichi, Ranmaru, and Gracia had agreed to depart through the Cosmog's gateway; as Oichi had started to lead Type: Null on to the blimp, she had been surprised to find Glaceon in no hurry to follow them. At the healer's question, the Eeveelution nodded insistently.

"I guess it would look bad to leave the kingdom empty," Oichi conceded, "but... don't you want to come with us?"

Glaceon gave a cry.

A smile rose on Oichi's face. "Yeah," she agreed. "I bet she'd love to come back and find you here."

Wigglytuff glanced between the two of them before stepping up to Glaceon's side.

"You too, huh?" Oichi nodded. "Sure, why not. Two's better than one, right? Here, give me a sec to get Null ready, I'll leave a note for anyone who shows up..."

She led Null onto the blimp and dashed back into the castle, finding Evia's writing supplies and readying a note.

_To any Warriors wishing to challenge Aurora for claim of the kingdom;  
__The Warlord and Warriors stationed here are presently occupied with matters outside of the castle. Our Pok__émon have elected to stay behind, and will face you on our behalf. If they should be defeated, your victory stands true; if they should defeat you, your courtesy should not be dismissed for it._

The sigil of Aurora was added below the note, as Evia had tended to with official letters; she left a few other notes for the castle servants to make sure the Pokémon were cared for, then pinned the one for challengers to the front door and turned to Wigglytuff and Glaceon. "Don't push yourselves too hard, okay? I don't want to come back and find you starved in a snowfield again."

Glaceon glared.

"Yes, that was an exceptional case," Oichi conceded, "but I don't expect there to be another. If one of those otherworld Pokémon shows up, you _get out of here_."

Wigglytuff nodded.

"Good." Oichi started towards the blimp. "When I get back, it'll be with Evia."

+x+x+x+

The trip to Dragnor was largely uneventful; when she arrived, Nobunaga was waiting for her.

"Brother," Oichi greeted. "I take it Ranmaru filled you in?" When she had spoken with him in Aurora, the conversation had mostly focused on Type: Null; she'd forgotten to mention the reason for her return until he'd left and felt daft for it.

"He did," Nobunaga confirmed. "And I see you're taking no chances."

'Armed to the teeth' would only be the slightest of exaggerations; Oichi's staff was bound to her back such that she could draw it at a moments notice, her rapier rested at one hip with her buckler hooked on the hilt, and a bag hung over her other shoulder, full of com-crystal bracelets and earrings. "Yeah," she admitted. "I don't know what to expect on the other side of that gateway."

Nobunaga nodded. "I hope you find the answers quickly," he prayed. "For all our sakes."

Oichi sighed. "So do I. Did Gracia arrive yet?"

"Ranmaru expects her here with the Cosmog by tomorrow," Nobunaga admitted.

Immediately did Oichi realize what had caused the delay. "Oh, no."

"Yes," Nobunaga confirmed. "Mitsuhide has more than a few misgivings."

Oichi sighed. "Tomorrow it is, then. I'm gonna see if I can't help Ranmaru with the packing."

+x+x+x+

"You've got enough meals here for three months."

Ranmaru sighed. "I should hope it's overcautious," he admitted, "but we know not what we might find through that gate."

A new uncertainty took root in Oichi. "No," she conceded, "I guess we don't."

"We'll all need to carry our fair share," Ranmaru observed. "I've had Lucario practicing combat while wearing a weighted pack. I should hope Gothitelle and Null are willing to do the same."

"Gothitelle's a Psychic-type," Oichi mused, "I don't think wearing a pack will be much hindrance to her. And Null could probably pull a cart like Lapras, although I don't think I want to ask that with the way our Link is like."

"Indeed," Ranmaru agreed. "Perhaps even asking him to wear a pack is overt. Should we bring the Dragonair?"

Oichi gave him a look. "Bring the twins, into another world, as Pokémon of burden?" she asked.

Her comment had Ranmaru wincing at his own suggestion. "Am I seeming paranoid?"

"...Paranoia means that it's unjustified," Oichi assured him.

Ranmaru turned to her. "Lady Oichi?"

"Look, if..." Oichi took a deep breath. "If we're in there for three months, and we don't find Evia, and we don't find more food... we're not gonna find her." She closed her eyes. "We'll be better off coming back to Ransei than-"

She was cut off when Ranmaru set a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her," he vowed. "I promise you."

"How can you be sure of that?" Oichi demanded.

"Think of what she's been through," Ranmaru insisted. "What _you two_ have been through. Could there be anything on the other side of that gate that could compare to what you saw happen to her atop that tower?" He shook his head. "I know in my heart that she is longing to see you again - just as you long to see her. And I will never rest easy until you two have reunited."

Oichi reached her hand up, setting it over his. "...Thank you."

They waited a moment longer before Ranmaru pulled his hand away. "I, on the other hand, can't make nearly so many claims," he admitted. Starting past Oichi; "I'm going to bring my zanbato."

The healer whirled around to face him. "You're going to _what!?_"

+x+x+x+

The next day, Gracia, Gothitelle, and the Cosmog arrived at Dragnor Castle.

"Sorry it took me longer," Gracia apologized as they all equipped their food packs. She set a small bag on the counter; it was rather rectangular in shape, though twice as long as Oichi thought it would need to be (she suspected it was cushioned). "Here's the stuff for Full. Father really doesn't want me going through the gate; I had to tell him the box was taking up too much space just to get him to put them in something easier to carry."

"Not that I can say I blame him," Ranmaru admitted, "but the choice is yours." He'd covered the edge of his zanbato in a strange, blunted ridge that allowed him to safely wear a pack over it and not cut anything.

"Hey, I _want_ to come with you guys," Gracia insisted. "I wanna see what's through the gate, I wanna make sure Ransei is safe, and I wanna tie Lady Evia to a floating rock and zap her for making Lady Oichi worry."

"She didn't do it of her own choice," Oichi reprimanded, though there was a smile on her face.

Null didn't fight when they equipped it with a food pack; Ranmaru suspected that with the existing weight of his helmet, he barely noticed the addition, and after some debate they elected to have him carry the other essentials as well. Gothitelle indeed had no objection to a pack of her own, and even started to levitate the remaining before Lucario grabbed it and put it on. Once everyone was geared up, they made their way to the cave where the Tower of Infinity had appeared, with Oichi distributing communications crystals along the way.

"I haven't seen these in ages," Ranmaru observed, closing the bracelet on well away from that where he mounted his wrist-blades.

"I was distributing them to Evia's army during the first conquest," Oichi admitted. "After the events with the Alpha, I collected them from everyone when the army dispersed. And when they challenged her and Brother to do it just for the sake of it, we never ended up distributing because of the nature of the challenge."

"But didn't Lady Evia pick someone up in every kingdom west of Shingen and Kenshin?" Gracia mused, slipping the earpiece around her ear. "That would mean you've gotta have, like, fifty of each."

"Not exactly," Oichi mused, "but about that much material."

They arrived at the cave in due time, and at Oichi's prompting, the Cosmog swooped forward, starting to scatter the mist again. They'd only just begun when a yell of "_Gracia!_" caught them from behind; the Nixtormer growled, turning around to find Mitsuhide and Lapras charging after them.

"Fa_ther!_" she protested.

Mitsuhide dismounted angrily. "I thought we discussed this!"

"No, **you** discussed this," Gracia reprimanded. "You said you don't want me helping Lady Oichi, you never _let_ me say yes or no!"

"I can't just let you go through that gate on your own!" Mitsuhide proclaimed.

"I'm not _on_ my own," Gracia protested, beckoning to the others. "It's not like Lady Oichi and Lord Ranmaru are wimpy little Magikarp!"

"That doesn't change the fact that we **know** the Pokémon on the other side of that gate are dangerous!" Mitsuhide insisted. "I can't just let you march off with so few!"

Gracia groaned. "How is it any different than me marching with you to Spectra? Or going with Lord Nobunaga to take Viperia? Or having me in the room while you're making sure freaking _Kotarō_ is going where the Fool of Dragnor wants him to go?!"

"You're not ready for something like this!" Mitsuhide protested. "You can't-"

"Am I your junior Warlord or not!?" Gracia demanded.

Mitsuhide pulled back. "I-I..."

"You can't just start treating me like a little kid all of a sudden!" Gracia protested. "You leave me in charge of Nixtorm when you're gone! You told Lord Nobunaga I was your most trusted Warrior! If I'm ready to fight in battles for Ransei, there's no reason I can't help Lady Oichi go looking for Evia!"

A light from the cave drew Oichi's attention - the Cosmog had managed to open the seam, slowly widening. "The gate's opening."

Gracia nodded. "Right-!"

Mitsuhide wasn't about to let this happen; he grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Gracia!"

Psychic power surged through her channel bracelets, and Gracia struck at his forearm with the back of his knuckles, causing him to pull back numb as she wrenched her arm free. "I'm going, Father!" she proclaimed. "And I'm _going_ to come back!"

"You don't know that!" Mitsuhide protested.

"**I** know that," Oichi proclaimed, turning to face him. "I promise you - if worse comes to worst, we'll return before we dare venture into that danger blindly."

"But I..."

A hand on his pauldron cut him off. "Mitsuhide." The Nixtormer turned to find the Dragnor Warlord standing there. "Let her."

"Lord Nobunaga..."

Ranmaru turned to the seam. "Onward," he proclaimed.

The Cosmog pulled back and swung their arms at the seam - and with a sudden rush, it was thrown wide. A rift had opened where the Tower of Infinity would stand; it seemed a tunnel of light, lined with a grid that disjointed into cracks as it met the back wall of the shallow cave. Gracia swept her hands to dismiss the energy from them when the Cosmog started to descend, tired; she wrapped an arm around each of them and held them close as she leapt towards the rift, legs pedalling in the air.

As she entered that tunnel, her body flickered, and then vanished as the rift pulsed.

Gothitelle gave a cry of approval as she dashed after her, leaping in far more gracefully. Lucario growled, charging in as well, and Ranmaru turned to Lord Nobunaga and gave a quick bow before following suit. Oichi swung her hand towards the rift, and Type: Null charged in as well before she turned to Mitsuhide. "We'll be back - with everyone!"

Then she turned towards the rift, and charged into it - and as she vanished, so too did the rift.

* * *

Draco: **PRE-SUBMIT EDIT:** I'd like to imagine that I'm the first person running an ongoing story on the internet who had to _increase_ his update ratio because of his own inability to do something. Updates will be Monday-Wednesday-Friday starting with Chapter 9. **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT.**


	9. Ultra Kingdom: Little Devil

Draco: **PRE-SUBMIT EDIT:** All author's comments henceforth will have been written well before the chapter was submitted, except for edits such as this. By the time this chapter comes up, I have finished the story and finished my bout in Galar. **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT**

My absolute favourite discovery when I finally played Generation VII was Ultra Space. Not the Ultra Beasts, but Ultra Space itself. Don't get me wrong, the catching hunt with Looker in Sun/Moon was fun - and, if I'm honest, a lot easier than trying to find the right Ultra Space area - but Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon turned the home of these extradimensional Pokémon into full-fleshed worlds that made me feel like a Keyblade wielder. That's the biggest reason I ended up going through with this fic instead of filing it away and writing one of my other two plans.

I personally hope we haven't seen the last of Ultra Space. The anime implied there's at least one more Ultra Beast waiting in the wings, so I'm hoping Ultra Space itself will see another journey later in Generation VIII.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom: Little Devil**

The good news was, Gracia didn't land on the Cosmog.

When she had gone through the gate, she had found herself soaring through a void in myriad colours - flying through a tunnel unsupported by her hands or feet. As such, she had a lot more momentum coming out the other end than when she'd leapt in; she barely had time to register her surroundings before she realized she was falling chest-first towards the ground, and she twisted just enough that she, the Cosmog, and her pack all landed next to each other rather than on top of each other. The gate hadn't opened such that she had fallen straight down out of it; her jumping form was just less-than-balanced, and with that much airtime, imbalance had added up.

The Cosmog tumbled out of Gracia's grip, and as she tried to right herself, they gave tired cries.

"Sorry about that, guys," she insisted. "I should've been more- huh?"

When Oichi had hypothesized that the unknown Pokémon had been coming from another world, Gracia hadn't expected anything like this. Where she had landed looked like Viperia had been overrun by Muk until _the Muk_ had gotten disgusted with it - a plain of dead grass with pools of poisonous gunk scattered around it. It seemed to be a clearing, in a wood of some sort that looked like it had been half-melted by acid; if she strained her eyes, Gracia could see bubbling toxins in pools on the forest floor. The skies, at least, were relatively familiar, although the seemingly endless field of clouds didn't seem to have a sun behind them.

"Ugh." She got to her feet, hefting her pack. "I really hope Lady Evia hasn't been here for a couple months."

A cry from behind drew her attention; the gate was still open, and Gothitelle had just come through, carefully descending to make sure her pack wasn't damaged. Lucario and Ranmaru followed suit; for a moment, Ranmaru seemed like he was going to fall backwards onto his pack, but his zanbato stopped him from hitting the ground long enough to keep his balance. They quickly cleared the exit zone as Type: Null charged through, skidding across the ground as he landed with an angry cry.

The gate started to flicker; Oichi came flying out, and the moment she had appeared, it vanished, leaving her to descend. The dead grass didn't offer the most solid landing, and she nearly toppled before Ranmaru managed to catch her upright. "Careful," he warned.

"No kidding, careful," Oichi mused. Looking around; "What is this place?"

One Cosmog lifted up and gave a weak cry.

"I'm sorry, _what_ space?"

Gracia stepped forward. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that maybe we should stick together here," she mused.

"Indeed," Ranmaru agreed, turning around. "I'd rather we all be around to keep one another out of- Oh?"

Something was starting to approach from out of the melted forest - a small Pokémon in various hues of purple that hovered just off the ground. Its head was bulbous, with a blunt spike that looked like a stinger atop its head and another on either side; its body had hints of draconic, with arms and legs that ended in points instead of digits and a tail with a barb halfway down its length. Its eyes were brighter than its face, as was its mouth, and although they didn't seem to be _glowing_, it might have just been the fact that the Pokémon wasn't in the dark.

On seeing the three Warriors, it seemed to smile at them - but it was a _threatening_ smile, one that carried no warmth.

Null growled as it saw the Pokémon, and Oichi set a hand on his back to stop him from charging. Gothitelle cried out, her psychic energy wrapping Gracia's pack and pulling it off her back as the Nixtormer took a wary stance.

"What is that?" she murmured.

"I don't know," Ranmaru observed, reaching for the handle of his zanbato as Lucario prepared to fight, "but I don't believe it's friendly."

Oichi reached her left hand for her hip, drawing her buckler as she regarded this strange, small Pokémon; the Dragnoran swirl in her eyes started to intensify, such that anyone would swear her green irises started to turn purple. "It's poisonous," she warned. "And sticky. Don't let anything touch those puddles."

The Cosmog gave worried cries, and in return the Pokémon seemed to _laugh_, starting to move towards them; Ranmaru promptly drew his zanbato as Lucario shot forward to meet it, knowing he had the best defensive chance. Gothitelle set down Gracia's pack and made to follow suit, and Oichi lifted her hand from Null's mane, prompting him to charge at the poisonous Pokémon while she drew her rapier.

As Lucario drew near, his opponent cried out loudly; purple gunk began to eject from the spikes on its head, flying forth in a spread like poisonous bolts. Lucario brought his forearms together to meet the attack, stopping it from from blinding him before making to part them... and failing. The toxins didn't hurt a Steel-type, but the gunk was adhesive enough to bind his arms together, and the Aura Pokémon skidded to a stop, looking at his hands in a panic. The remaining poison hit the earth just short of Gothitelle and well ahead of Null; the Psychic-type jumped over the resulting puddle and landed at Lucario's side as the poisonous Pokémon laughed, swinging her hands forward and causing psychic power to pulse around them.

Oichi swept her hand up, and Null vaulted the puddle of poison, landing just over the hazard and continuing to charge at the attacker. The Pokémon saw him coming and seemed prepared to attack him on the approach before Lucario got its attention; he had just enough mobility in his forearms to move his paws to face each other, and an Aura Sphere manifested between them. The exuding force began to wear away at the poison in the brief moment before he hurled it less-than-skillfully at the poisonous Pokémon.

It didn't have as much impact as he could have liked, but it threw the Pokémon back slightly, stopping it from attacking again before Null was near enough; the artificial Pokémon cried out angrily, leaping forward to drive a Crush Claw into the Pokémon and leave it reeling. Gothitelle's Future Sight started to manifest around it - and when it connected, the Pokémon _screeched_ in pain, twisting in the air before Null reared back for another strike.

The poisonous Pokémon tumbled across the clearing and slumped against a tree-slump, knocked out.

Lucario growled as he looked displeasedly at his still-trapped hands; another Aura Sphere appeared between them, and he tried to bring it close enough to wear the adhesive away as Ranmaru, Gracia, and Oichi approached. Gothitelle was about to lend a hand when Null cried out again, getting everyone's attention; he was about to charge the defeated Pokémon again before Oichi swung her hand back.

"Enough!"

Gracia set her hands on her hips. "What's up with Null? First the attacker in Nixtorm, and now this?

Ranmaru turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Gracia thought back to the trip to and from Articuno's peak. "When we first got him out of that stasis, he was _willing_ to fight, but he didn't charge in until she gave him the all-clear." Realizing that she'd only seen the one fight, she turned to the healer. "Um, Lady Oichi?"

"No, you're right," Oichi confirmed. "On my way to Dragnor, he was never this aggressive."

A shimmering cry from the Cosmog drew Ranmaru's attention; the two misty little Pokémon were approaching. "You know something about this?" he asked.

One Cosmog shook its head (or close enough), looking towards the defeated Pokémon.

"A _beast_?" Gracia asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The other cried out, swinging its hands at its side.

Ranmaru crossed his arms. "Pokémon attacking Ransei from another world were worrisome enough," he admitted. "But if Null is able to recognize something this distinct..."

"Wait," Gracia asked, "distinct how?"

"The attacker at Nixtorm was completely unlike this one," Ranmaru insisted, "but Null reacted to them both the same way - immediate, reflexive aggression. If these..." He looked to the Cosmog, continuing uncertainly, "...beasts... are so diverse, yet he can recognize them immediately, I can't help but wonder if he's recognizing _power_ in some way."

"No," Oichi insisted. "I don't think it's power. That one didn't seem as strong as the one in Nixtorm."

Gracia sighed, turning to the Cosmog again. "You guys got any _better_ news?" she asked.

One Cosmog cried out.

Oichi's gaze snapped around. "_Poipole_?" She was audibly fighting back a laugh, and Ranmaru and Gracia turned to her. "Nothing that hostile has any business having a name as cute as 'Poipole'."

"I think we all know better than to assume a cute name means a Pokémon is not ferocious," Ranmaru argued.

"Name three," Oichi argued.

Gracia counted on her fingers. "Purrloin, Sneasel, Eevee."

Oichi narrowed her gaze at that last one. "Eevee aren't _ferocious_," she argued.

"You're not the one who had a Link running with someone Lady Evia's was beating up!" Gracia objected. "Eevee are _plenty_ ferocious!"

"Are you sure you're not thinking of its evolutions?" Ranmaru argued.

"No," Gracia confirmed, "Glaceon didn't evolve until it was just him and Lapras. Why?"

"Because _Glaceon_ isn't a terribly ferocious name itself," Ranmaru replied, "yet he and Lady Evia could have eliminated the entire defensive army for Dragnor single-handedly if we'd sat there and let her-"

Lucario gave a distressed cry; the three Warriors, the two Cosmog, and Null all turned to find he and Gothitelle had their arms stuck to one another from the Poipole's toxic gunk.

+x+x+x+

A few hours of searching through the poisonous wood revealed only that the light of this place did not grow darker as they day dragged on; eventually, the Warriors and their Pokémon returned to the clearing where they had fought before, and set up camp.

"So," Gracia mused, "can I ask you a weird question?"

Oichi turned to her. "About what?"

"How did you... _know_ that?" Gracia asked. "Like, when you saw that Poipole, you automatically knew it was poisonous and sticky."

Ranmaru shook his head. "That's nothing new," he elaborated. "She's been able to do that for years. If she sees a new Pokémon, it's a simple matter for her to figure out what they can do."

Gracia turned to him. "Seriously?"

"I suppose I didn't really think much of it," Oichi admitted. "I used to read the compendiums on wild Pokémon to tire me out before bed. The last two Pokémon I ran into that I hadn't read about enough to know how they would fight were when Brother revealed Zekrom and Rekkūza, and we were panicking a bit too much to question it when I offered tactical advice."

"But how is that a _thing_?" Gracia asked.

"I grew up in Dragnor," Oichi reminded her. "They say you never know what happens around a Dragon. A lot of us have weird happenings that don't always seem to make sense."

Gracia set her hands on her hips. "Who _else_ has anything like that?"

"Lady Nō was born in Dragnor as well," Ranmaru observed, "and I've never seen her fingernails look like less than claws for a week."

"You sure she doesn't just know a good manicurist?" Gracia argued.

Oichi shook her head. "A manicure can't possibly make your nails that sharp and that durable," she argued. "She doesn't carry a weapon. I can't even guarantee she has someone else painting them for her, they're always sharp and they never grow long enough to give her serious trouble."

"Now I'm really happy Father stayed on Lord Nobunaga's good side," Gracia murmured.

"Speaking of Brother..." Oichi started.

Ranmaru turned to her. "Every Link he's ever forged was with a Dragon-type," he argued, "don't act like his sword doesn't make sense."

"I can think of one example where that might not apply," Oichi countered, "but that wasn't what I was going for. I'm talking about his Links themselves. Evia was terrified after she made a Link with _one_ legendary Pokémon. Brother made Links with _two_, and barely seemed to think anything of calling on them if they would answer."

"That's... actually kind of a good point," Gracia agreed. "I had to argue with Father before he was convinced Articuno might help us with Null." Then, turning to Ranmaru; "What about you?"

"What about me?" Ranmaru asked. "I don't think I have anything that quali-"

"Don't play that game," Oichi reprimanded with a smile on her face.

"My appearance has nothing to do with being from Dragnor!" Ranmaru protested, his face turning red.

Oichi shook her head. "That's not what I meant," she assured him. "I was talking about your penchant for finding pretty stones."

"Pretty stones?" Gracia echoed. "How come I've never heard about this?"

Ranmaru sighed. "Because it's rarely done me any good," he insisted. "Every so often, I'll stumble across some jewel or crystal or the like - but they're just that. They just look nice. They never have any use. And no one ever wants them. Well..." His gaze narrowed. "There have been a couple cases, but not because the gems themselves were worth much."

Gracia turned to Oichi. "Is that where the one in your staff came from?"

"Yeah," Oichi confirmed. "Before my transformation, it was easiest for me to heal Pokémon with my voice - which meant it only worked if my allies could hear me." She picked up the staff and held it forward to show off the gem in the head. "Ranmaru found this one; a gem that amplified sound that reached it. So I fill the staff with water to hasten my voice, and when it hits the crystal, it can reach the entirety of any battlefield in Ransei. Over time, I think the healing has kind of... been entrapped in here, and I've been able to heal people with it, too."

"And there was this one I found for Lord Nobunaga," Ranmaru added. "He took a fancy to it and carries it around as a good luck charm."

Oichi's gaze shot up. "Is that that one that-?"

"Yes," Ranmaru confirmed, "he was carrying it atop the Tower of Infinity when he invoked Rekkūza."

"Holy Mulch," Oichi muttered. "I thought the Sky Demon had given him that thing itself."

"Which is odd," Ranmaru admitted, "because I gave it to him some time before he departed on the trip that led to his Link with the _Black Yang_."

Gracia giggled. Then she yawned, and then her gaze went up to the grey skies above. "It feels so weird to be tired when it's still bright out."

Ranmaru nodded. "Indeed. But we'd best call it a night. The last thing we want is to go back to Ransei and find out we've become nocturnal."

"I'll take the first watch," Oichi assured them. "The way Null reacted to the one before, we'll know right away if another Poipole appears."

"Okay," Gracia mused. "Good night, Lady Oichi."

She retreated into her tent, and Gothitelle nodded to Oichi before following suit. Ranmaru and Lucario retreated into their own, and Oichi sighed, glancing towards the poisonous wood.

_Evia... are you really here?_

* * *

Draco: Started this chapter beforehand, but I didn't get the last section done until I played Shield. Progress with Galar as I've finished this chapter - just wrapping up my first battle with Hop. Bold choice, throwing you into your first battle with only one Pokémon against a guy with two, but they didn't make it too hard to kick his ass.

So, Conquest has a weird treatment of Abilities. Aside from legendary Pokémon and Pokémon with Levitate, I don't think any species is limited to one Ability even if they are so limited in the core series. The best example for what I'm going for is, Zorua and Zoroark only have Illusion in the core series, but in Conquest that's just one of their three possibles. I feel like the Ultra Beasts should have Beast Boost, but also at least one other ability that helps to further reflect their capabilities. Seeing as Ransean Pokémon only have one move to use, most of them have abilities to allude to what else they can do.

Poipole  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Venoshock  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Shackle  
Evolution to Naganadel - improve Attack in Dragnor

Beast Boost  
-Improves stats every time the Pokémon defeats an enemy

...That being said, let me be honest with you guys; everything in regards to player's use of Ultra Beasts is only coming up because I'm giving this too much thought, for reasons that will become clear next chapter.


	10. Noxious Bog: A Contained Wood

Draco: Progress in Galar as I start this chapter - just got out of the train station for my first stop in the Wild Area. Not super-wowed with the Generation so far, but I'm happy to see that most of the stuff I disliked in Let's Go was a one-time thing.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Noxious Bog: A Contained Wood**

Oichi had taken the first watch for the party's first night outside of Ransei; Ranmaru had relieved her shift, then Gracia had relieved his, and then it had been Oichi's turn again.

So Gracia was concerned when she was roused shortly after having been relieved - by the roar of Type: Null

She promptly shot to her feet and found Gothitelle being similarly roused. Experience marching with her father had taught the Nixtormer to go to sleep with her weapon nearby - or equipped if capable, as was the case with her channel bracelets - and she immediately slapped her hands together to coat them in psychic energy as she dashed out of the tent, finding Oichi with rapier and buckler in hand - and Null charging a pair of Poipole.

"More of them?" Gracia demanded.

They were near enough to each other; Gothitelle readied a Future Sight before Null was close enough to be at risk, and when the artificial Pokémon charged straight through a double-Venoshock bombardment to strike one with a Crush Claw. Ranmaru was out of his tent in short order - dragging his zanbato on the ground behind him in a daze - and Lucario dashed past him in a right hurry, throwing an Aura Sphere at the beast Null wasn't in the way of.

Oichi swept her hand towards the Poipole as soon as Lucario's attack hit it; Null promptly rounded on it, striking it before it could retaliate in the Warriors' direction and clearing up the other one for Lucario to strike in return. In almost the same instant as his Aura Sphere connected, Gothitelle's Future Sight surged up around them, and the super-effective attack hit hard enough that Null's consequent swings to throw them across the clearing seemed superfluous.

The healer pulled her hand back to warn him down before turning to the other two. "How are you two feeling?"

"Rude awakenings don't make for an efficient rise," Ranmaru admitted, glancing at the line his zanbato had carved behind him, "but I'm rested enough."

"Yeah," Gracia agreed, "I've had enough sleep for one night." She glanced up and found the sky still hadn't changed. "Or- You know what I mean. Let me wake up the Cosmog, and we can get ready to start searching again."

She headed back into her tent, and Ranmaru approached Oichi. "Perhaps one rotation per night, if we can afford it?" he mused.

"Yeah," Oichi admitted. "Last time I travelled without escorts, three rotations in a party of two took us to the dawn, so I thought two rotations for a party of three would be alright." She glanced at Null, who seemed a bit miffed that he kept being held back from chasing after already-knocked-out Poipole. "But the way he acts if a beast attacks, I don't think anyone's sleeping through anything."

Ranmaru sighed. "So it would seem."

+x+x+x+

"A dead end?"

A week (well, seven camps, but Oichi spoke as though they made camp at the end of a day per the norm) into their search of poisonous wood, Gracia was surprised to find what appeared to be a thick and towering stone wall along the edge of the forest. "I didn't think this place _could_ have a dead end," she observed.

"Nor did I," Ranmaru agreed. "There's something odd about this."

Oichi hummed, looking up its height. "...It's too tall for us to try and get up there," she admitted. "To think I'd _want_ for Masamune and his overcompensation with Braviary."

"You sure?" Gracia asked. "What if, like, we all towered on top of each other?"

"Setting aside how unstable that would be even _with_ a Psychic-type trying to keep it all supported," Oichi observed, "we're not tall enough. It would be a lot of work for nothing." She sighed, turning around. "Guess we pick a trajectory and start again."

Gracia aimed a hand directly to the right. "What about that one?"

Ranmaru turned to her. "Sorry?"

"If there's something on the other side of this," Gracia suggested, "we should follow the wall and see how far it goes. Maybe it's just stopping the fastest route, or something."

"That's..." Oichi hummed. "...actually not a bad idea."

She started in that direction, Null following along; Ranmaru smiled at Gracia. "Not a bad idea at all," he agreed.

He and Lucario followed behind Oichi; the Cosmog made to follow after him, leaving Gothitelle behind with her Warrior.

Gracia tapped the wall lightly with one finger.

Gothitelle swung her hand down in that direction.

Then the two of them followed the others - and shortly after they left, Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded the wall, causing a significant portion to crumble into a small - but recognizable - pile.

+x+x+x+

"Back back back back back back!"

The Ranseans had gotten into at least one fight with a few Poipole almost every day since they'd arrived; the groups normally kept to three or less, but two weeks into their search, they'd been in the middle of the thickest trees - with a sizeable pool of noxious gunk on one side - when they'd found themselves in a battle with _six_ of the beasts, and one of them came a little too close to Gracia for cover, leaving her rapidly retreating.

Null's roar got the invader's attention, and it turned around in time to get a Crush Claw across the face, throwing it to the floor - the fourth knockout of the battle. The last two were on opposite sides of the battlefield; Null and Gothitelle charged one, leaving Lucario to stand in the way of the other as Oichi extended her staff towards Gracia, drizzling a brief amount of water over her hip where a Venoshock had skimmed her.

Ranmaru's zanbato was covered in adhesive poisons - in exchange for nothing having struck him or Oichi - and he seemed very focused. As a psychic bombardment finished the Poipole being double-teamed, he quickly realized there was only one left... and when Null made to turn on the last one, he yelled to Oichi, "Hold him back!"

"What?!" Oichi demanded.

"Trust me!"

Null had started to charge before Oichi raised a hand, causing him to skid; Lucario leapt over the remaining beast and landed behind it, and Ranmaru raised a hand towards it.

A small light appeared between him and the Poipole.

Ranmaru blinked. "What the...?"

Gracia glanced at him and then the beast in surprise. "Lord Ranmaru, are you trying to-?"

The Poipole didn't seem to attack; slowly, Ranmaru started to advance towards it, dragging his zanbato at his side. The light remained equidistant between them, and the beast seemed to angle its head in curiosity - yet the light didn't seem to get any stronger as he neared, willing the Link to forge.

When he was standing so close he could reach forward and touch the beast, the glow between them seemed no brighter than it had been when he started.

A moment of hesitation... and then the Poipole screeched, shaking its head wildly. Poison started to surge from its head as the light vanished, and Ranmaru moved his weapon before him to defend himself; Lucario struck the beast with an Aura Sphere from behind, and Oichi swung her hand forward to give Null the go-ahead to charge it once more. Gracia gave a wordless yell as Gothitelle spun back swinging her hand forward - and her Future Sight ripped out around the beast not one second before Null slammed a Crush Claw into it.

It tumbled away, and then fell into the poison with a _plop_.

Ranmaru released his zanbato and found it stuck to his palm; Oichi stepped forward once Null was held back, raising her staff over his hand and letting the water flow. The drizzle stopped the poison from doing him too much harm, and the shower wore down the adhesive enough that Ranmaru was able to force his weapon off his hand; once they were separate, Gothitelle started to use her psychic power to separate the toxins from the blade's surface as Gracia stepped forward. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Ranmaru admitted. "When I tried to Link with it, it... I could _feel_ the Link starting, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. There was something different about it."

"How different?" Oichi asked, feeling the situation oddly familiar.

"The beast seemed to be... _opposed_ to the Link, somehow," Ranmaru observed. "Like... a Warrior of my make was unfit to try and do so with its ilk." He shook his head. "But it didn't seem as though it was outright against being part of a Link whatsover, just... like it didn't want to be part of one with me."

Gracia blinked. "That's... weird."

"And not at all what I thought you meant," Oichi added. She crossed her arms. "What is up with these Pokémon?"

+x+x+x+

Four weeks after their arrival, the Cosmog were in peak condition once again; with the resting period they'd taken between Oichi's discovery and their departure from Dragnor, Gracia was of the mind that a month's rest would be sufficient for them between opening gates. The three warriors were growing tired as they stepped out into the clearing; they pitched their tents, Ranmaru started a fire, and Oichi served out a meal before they all sat down.

Gracia was the one who broke the silence. "So, um..." The others turned towards her as she raised her gaze awkwardly. "Can we talk about the Donphan in the room?"

The Cosmog traded glances, and one of them gave a confused cry.

Oichi sighed, setting her bag down. "You're right." Her voice was heavy as she spoke. "This place seems contained. We've been searching longer than we should have." She closed her eyes. "There's no way Evia could have been here for three months and still-"

"Woah woah woah!" Gracia interrupted. "That's not what I mean!"

The healer's gaze rose, and the tears in her eyes did nothing to mitigate the confusion on her expression - confusion that was mirrored on Ranmaru's. "It's... not?"

"I'm talking about what we've been fighting," Gracia insisted. "There's been nothing but those Poipole in here. I _know_ those things can't have anything to do with what attacked Nixtorm. And did any of the other reports about weird Pokémon sound anything like these ones?"

Ranmaru set a hand on his chin. "Now that you mention it... Nene said none of her Warriors could hurt their attacker except Hanzō. But Poison-type Pokémon aren't immune to Poison-type attacks; it would have had to be a Steel-type."

"Ujiyasu said they were attacked by something that cut, not stung," Oichi recalled. "And Motochika said that the Pokémon that attacked him and Motonari had eaten his shamisen whole, but Poipole aren't big enough for that."

Gracia sucked in a deep breath through her teeth. "Look, stop me if this sounds crazy," she pleaded, "but... what if all those otherworld Pokémon that were coming from Ransei weren't coming from the _same_ otherworld? What if this is just where the one kind is, and the others are all coming from different places? And the Warriors who went missing had ended up somewhere else?"

"You're talking about an odyssey," Ranmaru realized. "If we want to find Evia and the others, we'd have to search through _all_ of those places..."

"...and hope none of the others are travelling between them like we are," Oichi finished.

The Nixtormer winced. "Does that sound as stupid as it did in my head?"

Oichi shook her head. "No, nothing like that," she insisted. "But that's a much more devoted trip. Opening the gates takes a lot out of the Cosmog; they'd need to rest between destinations. And if they're all like this - uninhabitable, unsafe..."

"We'd have to go back to Ransei after searching every one," Ranmaru mused. "To resupply. And if the others _are_ travelling as we are, that reduces our odds of finding them exponentially."

"...Would Evia want us to starve ourselves looking for her?" Gracia asked.

The healer sighed. "No, she wouldn't," she agreed. "Alright. We'll rest tonight, and in the morning, we go back through the gate."

Gracia raised an eyebrow. "There's still no night and morning," she reprimanded.

"Oh, shut up," Oichi muttered - but there was a small smile on her face.

+x+x+x+

Once everyone had slept and packed up - and the Poipole that had inevitably attacked them during the process had been fended off - the Cosmog started to open the gate once more. While they were spreading the mist, Oichi drew her staff from her back, looking at the head.

Ranmaru noticed. "Something wrong, Lady Oichi?"

"The water's just diluted," Oichi observed. "There hasn't been any around here for me to refresh it."

"Fortunate we packed our own supply," Ranmaru observed.

"Is it safe to drink that stuff after it's been in your staff?" Gracia asked.

"Yeah," Oichi confirmed, "it's not harmful. It doesn't even do anything worse to my healing, it just bothers me when it's not clear. I mean, it does taste a bit metallic. You ever drink water out of a metal cup after it's been sitting for a while? It's kind of like that."

Gracia raised an eyebrow at her. "Drink out of a metal cup," she echoed. "In Nixtorm?"

"That was a stupid question," Oichi acknowledged.

"Mildly, yes," Ranmaru agreed.

There was a moment of quiet as the seam of the gate started to appear.

"...Okay, I did once," Gracia admitted.

Ranmaru turned to her abruptly. "Truly?"

"I was too little for me to remember it now," Gracia insisted, "but Father's told me about it. We _ran_ back to the castle."

Oichi winced. "I can imagine," she conceded. "When I asked, I meant 'that you remember', I thought that went without saying."

Gracia nodded. "Yeah, fair enough. I don't even have any idea what I was drinking at the time, let alone what it tasted like."

"A warm beverage that had cooled before you realized?" Ranmaru wondered.

"I don't think so," Gracia admitted. "I drink my hot chocolate too fast for that. And I'm picky about it; if it's not steaming, it's not hot chocolate."

"If it's not steaming in _Nixtorm_," Oichi observed, "it's not even warm."

"Yeah, true," Gracia agreed with a giggle.

The Cosmog pulled back and swung their hands forward, and the seam opened wide into the cracked rift that had appeared in Dragnor. Gracia stepped forward and caught them as they started to fall, and Oichi set her staff upon her back again. "Looks like conversation hour's up," she mused.

Gracia and Gothitelle led the charge again - this time, the Nixtormer waited until her Pokémon had already started to jump before following suit, and the two flickered and vanished almost simultaneously as the rift pulsed. Ranmaru and Lucario approached as they vanished, leaping into the rift, and Oichi prompted Null to enter before turning to the area around her.

_If this is just one place... what are we gonna find in the next?_

Then she turned back to the rift, leaping through.

+x+x+x+

When Oichi landed on the other side, she was distressed at what she found.

She almost landed _on_ Null; there wasn't a lot of room around here. Gracia still had the Cosmog in her arms, and Gothitelle practically had hers around her Warrior for their proximity to a stone wall; Null was between them and Lucario, who was trying very hard not to stab the spike on his chest into Ranmaru, who had his zanbato scraping against another stone wall.

Oichi almost stumbled back into the rift, and she barely managed to keep her balance until it faded, whereupon she let herself fall onto her ass. After a moment, she glanced upward - and when she found a sunset sky above them, she shot up to her feet. They were standing in a valley between the two walls; as the others tried to un-crowd themselves, Oichi turned to one wall and found it covered in a strange lettering she did not recognize.

"...This is not Ransei."

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar as I end this chapter - just arrived in the Motostoke Pokémon Center. Fought all the Max Raid Battles that were in the Wild Area when I arrived and discovered they redistribute if you run out. Love Dynamaxing so far. Kind of wondering why Rotom technology is so common in Galar. I mean, the Rotom are obviously happy working with technology like that, but I have to wonder if we're going to get the story behind that. Just seems kind of odd to have Plasma Pokémon running everything.  
...Says the guy who has constantly had and enjoyed a recurring dream about a high-tech home with the Crypton Vocaloids voicing AI functions ever since he sat down and actually learned what the hell a Vocaloid is.

(horrible disregard of ominous cliffhanger in favour of contemplation b/c I'm evil like that)


	11. Stone Walls: Imprisoned

Draco: Progress in Galar on starting this chapter - just wrapped up the Gym Challenge opening ceremony. I've got a full team with only two Galarian Pokémon on it. I always play my games blind, and Pokémon is no exception (although it's a lot harder to dodge spoilers when you're doing research on the previous Generations), which means that I don't know a new region's Pokédex well enough to get a good team. Went through Alola with starters being the only adds to teams I'd prepared in Generation VI. Kalos gave me almost a full team in Gift Pokémon, all I caught was a Honedge.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Stone Walls: Imprisoned**

"This is not Ransei."

Oichi's confused muttering had Ranmaru turning to her. "It's not Dragnor, to be sure," he admitted.

Gracia released the Cosmog, leaving them to float warily. "You sure this isn't just Cragspur?" she asked.

"Cragspur doesn't have anything like this," Oichi insisted. "And look at this lettering. No one in Ransei would know about this." Her gaze went skyward. "What is this place?"

A heavy stomp interrupted before anyone could respond; Gothitelle swung a hand in the direction of the sound, which was coming from around the nearest corner. A figure that looked like a stone brick box rounded the bend; it was standing on four small legs that seemed to be bricks joined haphazardly - and on each brick was a pale blue _eye_. Each side of its build had an identical eye set in a missing brick; as it took notice of the Warriors, all of its eyes turned red, and it gave a deep, rumbling cry.

Type: Null roared back at it, and as he charged forward Gothitelle's Future Sight ripped up around his opponent.

Oichi's eyes swirled again. "Stone and metal!" she announced.

Lucario leapt straight up, an Aura Sphere gathering between his hands before he hurled it down at the beast. It slammed into the beast and sent it grinding back, but it avoided toppling as Null drew near. A rock broke out of the ground before it, suspended itself immediately before the beast's eye, and was promptly propelled straight at Null; it slammed into the artificial Pokémon's helmet, and Null stumbled as another rock rose up as well.

Null was able to take this shot more defensively, meeting it on the broad of his body; Lucario landed beside him and hurled another Aura Sphere, sending the beast skidding back before a third rock could be propelled. Null proceeded to continue his charge, slamming a Crush Claw into the beast's forelegs; the bricks seemed to scatter, and the beast reared back in an effort to keep its balance - revealing its body to be hollow, and lined with the same eyes as its legs.

One more Aura Sphere was thrown into that gap, and as it blast within the beast's body, it was thrown into the wall, where it seemed to _crumble into individual bricks_.

Ranmaru gave a yell of terror; Lucario slammed his paws over his mouth. Null maintained an aggressive stance until Oichi came up to him, setting a hand on his mane. "It's okay," she insisted. "It's not..." She paused as she realized that she wasn't really sure 'dead' was the word she was looking for, and started the sentence over. "It's just unconscious."

"You mean that Pokémon is meant to be able do that?" Ranmaru asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Oichi confirmed. "It's like... each of those bricks is a separate part of it, and it just has a preferred arrangement." She shook her head. "Still, let's not stick around to see how long it takes for it to put itself back together."

Their party started in the opposite direction down the valley; in time, they reached a four-way intersection, where they reckoned they'd have plenty of reaction time. Gracia spoke up once they'd come to a stop - and worry filled her voice. "So, um... bad news."

"We'd best hear it all the same," Ranmaru insisted.

"I was talking to the Cosmog while you guys were fighting that thing," the Nixtormer explained; her turning around revealed the little Pokémon were all but passed out in her arms, and she released them, letting them slowly float down. "When they opened the gate that brought us here? Or the one that took us to that wood with the Poipole?" She shook her head. "They, um... they can't do any more than that."

Oichi stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

Gracia took a heavy breath. "They... can open the gates," she explained. "But that's it. They can't... they can't control where the gate comes out. When they open it up, they don't know what's on the other side any more than we do. They don't know what otherworld we're gonna end up in, they don't know how hospitable it's gonna be to humans..." Her voice was shaking. "They don't know what kind of Pokémon are gonna be there."

She closed her eyes. "And they don't know how many different places there are."

Ranmaru stepped back. "You're saying... it's a gamble," he realized. "We're travelling at random, with no knowledge of where we come out..."

"...and no sure way to go back to Ransei," Oichi gasped.

"I'm sorry." Tears were starting to well in Gracia's eyes. "I didn't know. I didn't ask them. If I knew this was going to happen, I-"

"No," Oichi insisted, setting a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fault. None of us knew."

"But-!" Gracia looked up to her. "I said we should go...! I'm the one who said we were gonna go! _I told Father I was gonna come back!_"

"And you **will** go back," Ranmaru insisted. "I promise you, Gracia, we _will_ find our way back to Ransei - one way or another."

Gracia turned to him. "How? How are we gonna go back to Ransei when we can't control anything?! We don't know where we're going! We don't know where we _are!_"

Oichi's gaze fell.

"We... we don't even know if the _Alpha_ knows where we are..."

Ranmaru winced.

"And if we die here... How do we know that Antimatter can even take us...?"

Gracia fell to her knees; and her cries echoed down each of the four paths around them.

+x+x+x+

Unlike the Poipole's bog, this place _did_ have a sun and moon that rose and set; despite not having travelled very far, the Warriors agreed that exploring this place in the dead of night would be a bad idea, and set up camp in the intersection. Gracia had eaten very little and crawled into her tent without conversation, followed promptly by Gothitelle and the Cosmog; Oichi, Ranmaru, Lucario, and Null remained around the campfire, contemplative.

"Can we go three watches each, us two?" Oichi asked. "I don't want to wake Gracia up in that state."

"Nor do I," Ranmaru agreed. "Shall I take the first?"

"No, let me," Oichi insisted. "I noticed a strange pattern with the Poipole, and I want to see if these beasts are similar."

Ranmaru hummed. "Not sure I would consider it likely," he observed, "but what do you mean?"

"We never fought Poipole very quickly in succession," Oichi elaborated. "Like, there was always a battle, and then a peaceful period until the next battle. And we always fought one or two shortly before we made camp. It was like they were wary of attacking us after we defeated them. If these ones have the same mentality, then they shouldn't attack us before too long."

"I hadn't noticed," Ranmaru admitted.

There was quiet around the fire for a little longer.

"...Is that all?"

Oichi sighed. "No," she admitted, "not really."

"Gracia has a point," Ranmaru observed. "We truly have no way of being sure we'll ever return to Ransei. If we should be condemned to wander these otherworlds forever..."

"We'll find a way," Oichi defied. "We have to."

"And if we do?" Ranmaru asked. "If one of the gates the Cosmog open should indeed take us home, without finding any of the others, do you intend to return? To seek out Lady Evia?"

"...Yes," Oichi proclaimed. "I will."

Ranmaru shook her head. "But why?" he demanded. "Why would you continue to risk that?"

Oichi closed her eyes. "Because the alternative is going home, knowing that when I arrive in Distortion, Evia might not be there. And I'd sooner die on this odyssey than let Antimatter take me without seeing her again."

Quiet draped the labyrinth.

"Then know that I will join you, even then," Ranmaru proclaimed.

Oichi turned to him. "Why would you follow me?" she demanded. "This is my journey - for my reasons - and you have none of the same stakes. Brother, Nō... everyone you care about is still safe in Ransei."

"Not everyone," Ranmaru corrected.

He said no more, starting into his tent; Lucario glanced at Oichi and shook his head before following suit, leaving Oichi to turn her attention back to the fire.

+x+x+x+

Unlike the Poipole, the rotation that Oichi expected lasted until morning without their tent being attacked; after the skies had brightened again (as far as they could tell, anyways), Gracia stumbled out of her tent with tear-streaks across her face and found the other two preparing a waking meal.

"Good morning," Ranmaru greeted.

"M-Morning," Gracia murmured, glancing at the skies. "How long did that take?"

"It's hard to tell with the walls this high," Oichi admitted, "but I don't think it's any different than we're used to back home."

She handed a meal to Gracia, who accepted it confusedly. "Why didn't you wake me up for my watch?"

"It would be a bit rude of us to ask you to keep watch in the condition you were in last night," Ranmaru observed.

Gracia shook her head. "You guys didn't have to do that," she insisted. "I'm on this journey, I can pull my own-"

"You're allowed to be sad, Gracia," Oichi reprimanded. "Being a Warlord on a journey doesn't mean you're not allowed to feel. When your sorrow is that heavy, it's better that you take the time to let it flow than to try and fight it to get something done."

"...Okay," Gracia murmured. "Thanks."

Once they had finished their meal, Oichi spoke up again. "The beasts in this place don't seem to be as aggressive," she observed. "Which is good, because we've got a different problem."

"You mean the maze," Ranmaru mused.

"Can any of you tell which way we came?" Oichi asked.

Everyone with a head to shake did so, and the Cosmog gave similarly uncertain cries.

"I, um..." Gracia took a deep breath. "I think I know a good way to search this place."

Ranmaru turned to her. "How so?"

"Well..." She pointed down a random path. "Say we go that way, and we come to a dead-end. We come back to this place..." She turned so that she had her back to the path she'd indicated, and then aimed to the next path clockwise. "...and we turn left. Every time we come to a new break in the paths, we turn left. And if we find ourselves in the same place, we take the next-left path." She turned to Oichi. "Does that make sense?"

"It does," Oichi confirmed. "Where did you get that idea?"

The streaks on Gracia's face meant a blush wasn't super-visible, but it did its best. "That's how I used to do mazes in puzzle books."

"Would never have thought such a thing would have practical application," Ranmaru observed, "but being wrong isn't always a bad thing."

"Indeed it isn't," Oichi agreed, smiling. "That's very clever of you, Gracia." She glanced at the walls; with the unfamiliarity of the writing on them, she didn't trust herself to remember the specifics. "But how can we be sure to remember which paths we've tak-"

Null gave a cry, lunging at one corner of the intersection and carving a gash in its surface with his Crush Claw.

"O...kay," Gracia murmured. Orienting herself so that the cut was on her left; "I guess we're going that way, first."

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar on ending this chapter - just got to the front entrance of the Galar Mine. Ended up having to do my research on one element; not super-impressed with how Affection has been permanently merged with Friendship, I thought that was one of the Let's Go one-time things. Other than that, no real complaints. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Stakataka  
-Range: 2  
-Move: Rock Blast  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Last Bastion


	12. Stone Walls: Labyrinth Beasts

Draco: Progress in Galar while I begin this chapter - just got the Grass Badge. Are they seriously limiting the level of Pokémon you can catch by the number of Badges you have? Or is that like Poké Assists in the first Ranger game, and you outright can't find Pokémon at a higher level than that in the areas you can access before you've got the Badge? I like the Badge puzzle ring, though, that's a clever bit.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Stone Walls: Labyrinth Beasts**

"Now!"

It had been a week since the Ransean Warriors had arrived in this twisting world, home to the beasts that disassembled on impact - which the Cosmog had identified as 'Stakataka'. The close quarters enforced by the maze meant that their team composition was incredibly fortunate; Type: Null attacked from close-up, Gothitelle could strike from a distance, and Lucario needed only have an angle that wouldn't put him between either of them.

They were currently fighting one such Stakataka in a four-way intersection. At Oichi's prompting, Null raked a Crush Claw down the beast's fore until his foreleg hooked on the indentation in which its eye lay. Lucario promptly charged up behind him as he dragged the beast down until the top of its surface was at 45 degrees; as Null released the beast, Lucario leapt onto his back, using his head as a footstool to mount the Stakataka before it could right itself.

The Warriors had concocted this plan to get a better observation of their surroundings; the walls of the labyrinth were too far apart for Lucario to propel himself from one and reach the other without losing altitude (mostly because he was trained for combat and not maneuverability; Ranmaru had suspected a more specially-trained Lucario could have jumped between them like a Mankey on trees), but with the beast's height, he should have been able to leap to the wall and then rise high enough to observe the labyrinth's layout from above, giving them a better perspective of the maze.

Then the Stakataka's construction _shifted_, throwing Lucario off-balance before he could leap. The beast reared, sending its unwanted passenger flying, and Lucario hit the floor of the labyrinth roughly and unwantedly. Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded it while it was still on two legs, dismantling the ones that were raised; then Null drove a Crush Claw into its standing ones, scattering the pieces and leaving the main body to fall unsupported.

It slammed into the earth roughly, and Lucario angrily hurled an Aura Sphere at its upturned peak, the impact disassembling it and leaving its pieces scattered.

Gracia slumped over with a sigh. "I guess they don't like giving rides."

"I guess they don't," Oichi agreed. "So much for that plan."

Ranmaru carefully stepped around the Stakataka's pieces and into the intersection; he tapped the wall on his left, and Lucario threw another Aura Sphere at that, leaving a recognizeable mark. "No matter," he insisted. "We're making progress, at least."

"How can you be so sure?" Gracia asked.

"Not certain," Ranmaru admitted, "but I simply feel that we've backtracked to intersections less often than we've found new ones."

Oichi led the way down the path to the left. "I hope so."

+x+x+x+

The next day, they made a very unpleasant discovery.

Not long after another fight with a Stakataka, they arrived at a broad, open area. Sitting in the middle was a pedestal almost as tall as a beast, inert and unmoving with stairs on each side, as though meant to display something to be shown off - and on each of the four walls was an access.

"Oh, dear," Ranmaru murmured. "I hope this isn't what I think it is."

"What do you think it is?" Gracia asked.

He didn't get the chance to answer before weighty footsteps from down each remaining path drew their attention. Oichi paled as she realized that a Stakataka was approaching the room from each path, and she drew her buckler. "Um, guys?" she asked. "What do you reckon are our odds against three of them?"

Lucario gave a confident-sounding growl. Gothitelle and the Cosmog all glared at him.

"I'd rather we not try our luck," Ranmaru admitted. Glancing back the way they'd come; "Perhaps we can bottleneck them on this path?"

"Not if they know how to cooperate," Oichi insisted.

The Warriors and their Pokémon retreated around the nearest corner, and Gracia - who had the smallest figure - kept her eye out to watch for them. It didn't take long for one Stakataka to pass across the opposite access... without even glancing into the room. (Was room the right word if it didn't have a ceiling?) After a moment, she advanced closer to the hall, finding the remaining Stakataka hadn't entered either; then she realized what that meant, and Gothitelle quickly brought the others back into the room with her.

"What was that about?" Oichi asked.

"They walked right by," Gracia replied, sweeping her hand across each path. "I think the paths around this one are all connected - which means we can't risk running into them."

Oichi breathed a sigh of retroactive relief. "Nice call," she praised. Turning to Ranmaru; "So, what were you saying about this?"

"This..." Ranmaru glanced around; the brief panic of almost charging into a three-on-one had derailed his train of thought. "What was I concerned about this for?"

Lucario turned to him.

"Right." He turned to face Oichi. "I suspect that this room may be the _center_ of the labyrinth."

"What?" Gracia exclaimed. "You mean we're smack in the middle of things?"

Ranmaru nodded. "I believe so. This place seems as though it was built to protect something, or perhaps in the likeness of such a place. This would be where that something was kept - clear in the center. However..." He aimed a finger at the pedestal. "That pedestal would appear to serve the purpose we originally intended to achieve with the beasts. Before we discovered they were disinclined to cooperate."

"I don't know," Oichi mused. "How do you expect us to get any extra altitude when the room's this much more open?"

"Well, quite simply," Ranmaru observed, "we have enough room here for a running start. I don't believe we'll be able to _mount_ the walls, but we should still be able to get a perspective from above. Lucario?"

With a nod, Lucario broke into a dash, causing Gracia to stumble back as he passed close by her. He charged up the steps surrounding the pedestal and crossed its surface in a rapid stride before leaping from its surface - and to Oichi's amazement, the speed indeed gave him enough propulsion to reach the nearest wall without losing all the altitude than he'd gained from the leap. His feet connected with the surface, and he dashed against its surface to stop gravity from dragging him to the earth - just long enough for him to kick at a sharp upward angle.

And as his flight peaked... Lucario's expression became one of terror.

His rapid descent was cushioned only by the fact that Null happened to be on that side of pedestal; the impact left both parties a little worse for wear, but Lucario took a lot less of a hit than he would have if he'd struck the surface directly. Even so, his concern was no less as he managed to disentangle himself, and the others promptly circled around as Ranmaru asked, "What did you see?"

Lucario gave a worried growl.

"_Nothing?_" Oichi asked. "You mean it's just the labyrinth? Nothing standing at one side, nothing happening around it?"

The Aura Pokémon shook his head.

"It's like the Poipole's bog," Ranmaru realized. "These otherworlds are all contained regions, meant to facilitate the beasts they host. The only way in or out is through the gates."

The Cosmog gave weary cries.

Gracia turned to them. "Don't worry," she insisted. "We're not gonna ask you guys to open another one up until you've recovered properly from the last one." Then, to the others; "But if this is just the maze, it's gonna be tricky fighting off Stakataka until we can go. These guys are a bit tougher than the Poipole were."

"Indeed," Ranmaru observed, "but we're at no outright disadvantage."

"Not combat-wise, anyways," Oichi mused. "The beasts know the area better, but so long as we avoid angering many of them at once, we have the strength in numbers, and Warrior tactics give us an edge over wild Pokémon instinct."

"Fair enough."

+x+x+x+

Having discovered the center of the maze, the entourage decided they would attempt to reach the maze's outermost wall - partially out of curiosity, and partially because the further they were from middle, the less likely they were to get scissored between two Stakataka. The effort paid off on at least one front; two and a half weeks after they'd discovered the labyrinth's isolation, they'd only fought three beasts, a far cry from the daily three-fights-minimum they'd gone through in the Poipole's bog.

On the last day before they intended to depart, Gracia was bringing up the rear of their entourage. Without much else to do, she had her eyes on the tops of the labyrinth's walls - so when they approached an odd development, she rapidly dashed past Gothitelle and grabbed Ranmaru's arm between the Cosmog. "Wait."

Oichi turned to her. "What?"

"Up there," Gracia beckoned. "Is that what I think it is?"

Ranmaru followed her gaze; they were approaching a three-way intersection of which their path was the odd one out, and the peak of the wall opposite was _ridged_, parapet formations at even intervals. "How odd," he mused. "This must be the outermost wall."

Null growled, drawing Oichi's attention to him; his gaze was on the ridges. "What are you...?" Her eyes widened. "Wait is that...?"

"I think it is," Gracia insisted. "Those are... Stakataka. Sleeping."

The Cosmog gave terrified shimmers.

"Along the wall?" Ranmaru wondered. "But why would-?"

"Who cares _why_," Oichi insisted. "Let's just get away before they notice us. Null, come on."

Gracia turned around, now at the lead of their formation; and as they approached the last intersection they'd come through, she skidded to a stop as a brick stepped from around the corner. Gothitelle stumbled into her, and Ranmaru into her, as a Stakataka stepped into the center of the intersection.

It was advancing perpendicular to their path - but it had an open eye on each of its four sides, and once the side facing them took notice, it halted, and then hopped to face them.

"Oh, Mulch," Gracia muttered.

The Stakataka rumbled - and atop the wall behind them, the beasts forming the parapets started to stir. Ranmaru swore under his breath as Lucario leapt over them, throwing an Aura Sphere at the one on their path; it sent the beast skidding out of the intersection, allowing Gracia, Gothitelle, and the Cosmog to dash around the corner. Ranmaru stepped aside to let Null charge forward, and before the Stakataka could fire its Rock Blast, he slammed his Crush Claw into its legs to offset its balance, then charged after the Nixtormer to clear the path of Lucario's next projectile.

As the second Aura Sphere detonated within the Stakataka, he, Ranmaru, and Oichi dashed after Null; the ones that had been on the wall were starting to chase after them. Their greater pace meant next to nothing, however, when they found their path reaching a terminus, and Oichi swore. "A dead end!"

Lucario turned around, leaping to stand at the back of the formation as Ranmaru reached for his zanbato. "And company from the rear!"

The Cosmog traded glances before giving shimmering cries.

Gracia turned to them. "You sure you're rested enough?"

With quick nods, the two Pokémon began to fly in circles, spreading mist; Oichi promptly turned to the incoming wall of Stakataka, prompting Null to take an aggressive stance. "Then we just have to hold the line!"

"That, I think we can do!" Ranmaru proclaimed.

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at the first Statakata to come around; it was sent skidding back from the impact, and the collision with its fellows added to the damage. The two who had collided began to crumble, but managed to avoid collapsing entirely; the remainder of their formations were just short enough that the beasts behind them were able to climb over.

Null charged at the approach; as the new leader started to ready a Rock Blast, he drove a Crush Claw into just one leg, causing it to propel the rock off-course. The next blow had the beast turning around, and the next shot fired straight into the eye of its immediate follower. The horde was near enough that Gothitelle took the opening to ready a Future Sight; then Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere into the leader before it could turn around, slamming it into the next follower.

The leader crumbled, but the next one stayed together; Null raked his next Crush Claw down its bricks, trying to find a seam, and when that failed directed the blow into its legs as per the norm. Then Gothitelle's Future Sight connected with it and the next three members of the horde behind it; the bricks of the weakened one scattered, and the remainders were left toppling forward when the strikes targeted their hind legs.

With a roar, Null slammed a Crush Claw into them at an angle, causing them to collide with each other; Lucario was about to leap for another Aura Sphere before Gracia yelled, "It's open!" He and Null turned to find the gate thrown wide; Gracia grabbed the Cosmog and leapt in first, and Oichi swung her arm to get Null to turn away from the horde and charge towards her as Gothitelle followed suit. Lucario brought up the rear; the artificial Pokémon leapt in, Oichi came right behind him, and Ranmaru waited until Lucario was five paces from the gate before leaping in for himself.

Lucario halted at two paces away, turned around, and hurled one more Aura Sphere at the horde; the impact collided with the leader, and the chain collision held off the beasts as he leapt into the gate as well.

They hadn't resumed charging before the gate vanished.

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar while I finish this chapter - got the Water Badge and entered Galar Mine No. 2. The problem with doing your damnedest to dodge spoilers is, if you do end up hitting a spoiler, you try to purge it from your mind and you'll only get part of it, so until the rest has faded you're left jumping at every suspicious plot development.


	13. Infested Wood: Tactical Beauty

Draco: Progress in Galar before I begin this chapter - just got the Fire Badge. With most Gym Leaders, I was able to deliver a curb-stomp once I knew which Pokémon they were Dynamaxing. Kabu has a Pokémon with _Gigantamax_, and I resorted to just keeping my team alive with healing items until it wore off, then Dynamaxing my type advantage. (Not sure if those points are related but not denying the possibility.)

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Infested Wood: Tactical Beauty**

"Ooooh! Berries!"

Gracia's cheer as she got a good look at their destination was followed swiftly by a sigh from Ranmaru and Oichi. There were indeed berries; they stood in a much kinder-looking wood than that of the Poipole, with healthy trees that bore more berries than one could shake a staff at.

"Wonderful," Ranmaru breathed in relief. "A place where we can resupply."

"Indeed," Oichi agreed. "But I wouldn't expect to find anything _but_ berries here. Let's try and ration what we have left from Ransei, keep our meals a little more varied."

"Yeah," Gracia conceded. "That sounds like a good idea."

Their first order of business was to redistribute their food packs so the food they still had wouldn't be buried beneath the berries once they had been gathered. Gracia was about to start up the nearest tree when the sound of leaves being disturbed brought her to a halt. Everyone dropped what they were doing and turned towards the sound in an instant; Oichi went for her rapier, and Null gave a low cry as something landed upon a nearby tree.

Its weight caused the branch to lean down at almost a perfect angle for them to get a view of it; a humanoid Pokémon almost entirely of pale white. Its limbs were terribly thin, arms and legs both ending in pairs of thin claws, and its torso that seemed to be composed of discs; what seemed to be floor-length hair at a glance was in fact a pair of insectoid wings, and a pair of antennae at similar length hung forward from its brow.

Gracia stumbled back. "A bug?"

Oichi's eyes swirled purple. "And a fighter!"

The beast gave a high-pitched, reverberating cry before leaping from its branch like a springboard; Lucario found it coming towards him and quickly sidestepped a falling kick, only for it to land upon the one foot and then extend the other for a second kick that connected roughly with Lucario's maw. The Aura Pokémon stumbled back, and the beast set the foot down and twisted around, its back to him as it drove a third kick into his torso, sending him reeling.

Gothitelle swung her hand down, and psychic energy pulsed out from it; the beast turned towards her, and Null immediately charged it from the side. It had no opportunity to advance before he slammed a Crush Claw into the beast, throwing it to the ground; it righted itself and seemed about to attack him before the Future Sight bombarded it, throwing it into the nearest tree. Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at it before it could stand again, and the third consecutive blow - hard enough to leave noticeable cracks in the bark of the tree behind the beast - seemed to change its mind about continuing the confrontation.

It righted itself and dashed away, leaping between the trees, and Oichi had to hold Null back from chasing after it.

Ranmaru sighed. "Well, at least these particular beasts flee rather than fighting to the last."

"Yes," Oichi mused, "but... hmm..." She sheathed her rapier again. "I hope it's not just getting reinforcements for next time."

The Cosmog gave tired cries.

"Pheromosa, huh?" Gracia set a hand on her chin. "That one seemed really agile," she observed. "Let's keep our eyes up."

+x+x+x+

Another welcome difference between this wood and the Poipole's bog was that the trees didn't grow nearly so close together - but neither did there seem to be any definitive clearings. Oichi was reluctant to make camp before they found one, but by the time they were certain the light in this world was a constant, everyone was too tired to keep marching. Having gathered plenty of berries for one day, they pitched their tents in as open a space as they could find, and elected to sample the flavours of their newfound bounty.

"Null and I will take the first watch," Oichi proclaimed after dinner. "I don't want my guard to be down if we do get a revisit."

"Fair," Ranmaru conceded. "Good night, Lady Oichi."

He and Lucario crawled into their tent; Gothitelle and the Cosmog retreated into Gracia's, but the Nixtormer herself seemed a bit hesitant. "What's got you so sure it's gonna come back?" she asked.

"You wanna guess the only two species Pokémon I've ever fought wild that ran away without being knocked out?" Oichi argued.

Gracia hummed. "...Magikarp and Abra?"

"Magikarp and Abra," Oichi confirmed. "Neither of which are _capable_ of hurting an opponent or even inconveniencing them in any meaningful way. That beast, that... Pheromosa, it had more than enough power to oppose us properly, but it fled all the same. The Poipole and the Stakataka didn't, even when they were outmatched."

"So you're worried that it was just trying to fake us out?" Gracia asked.

Oichi nodded. "Maybe Ranmaru was right - maybe it just decided to run instead of fighting to the last. But that would be the first time I ever saw a Pokémon do that if it was capable of hitting back."

Null's cry drew their attention; both Warriors turned to find the artificial Pokémon glaring at the branches of the tree behind Oichi's tent. At last, a good use for a world with static light - without darkness to obscure it, the bright body of the Pheromosa standing in the crook of the branches stood out enough that no amount of leafage could obscure it.

Gracia shot to her feet, clapping her hands together; as psychic power wrapped them, Gothitelle threw the flaps of her tent open to stumble out. "Speak of Antimatter...!"

"And the Distortion World will open," Oichi growled, drawing her rapier.

Gothitelle swung her hand at the Pheromosa, power surging out around her; the beast leapt down from the tree and charged towards Null, who roared as he drove a Crush Claw into it on the approach. Ranmaru stumbled out of his tent with his zanbato dragging behind him as the Pheromosa retaliated against the blow; one kick slammed into Null's mask, and he turned his broadside to the second; the third was about to connect before Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded the beast, throwing it off mid-blow and allowing Null to strike it with another Crush Claw.

It hit the tree it had perched atop, and fell to the ground.

This time, when Null made to charge it again, Oichi didn't stop him; the Pheromosa saw him coming, righted itself, and tried to sidestep the blow, only for Null drive his next strike into it. It tumbled further into the woods, and Ranmaru watched as it rolled to a stop, tried to rise, and then collapsed.

"There," he prompted, and Oichi held Null back from the next blow.

"Geez," Gracia sighed. "Nice call, waiting for the return."

Oichi closed her eyes. "Next time, let's not let it take off," she suggested.

"Agreed."

+x+x+x+

The beasts of the wood left them alone long enough for each of them to have two shifts on watch. Not long after they began to march, the entourage came across a pleasant surprise - a lake in this wood, filled with clear water.

"Oh, sweet," Gracia exclaimed. "The berries were good enough, but now we've got water instead of-"

"Wait," Ranmaru warned, putting a hand between her and the lake. "Look there."

Oichi followed his gaze and realized what reason he had to be concerned. The lake wasn't terribly deep, about waist-high on her or Ranmaru - and there were several Pheromosa in the water already. As she watched, one dove into the water, submerging itself just briefly before surfacing again... and in the water where it passed, a white _fog_ seemed to be left behind, gradually thinning until the water was clear again.

"The beasts _bathe_ here?" She was dumbfounded by the discovery.

Ranmaru turned to her. "You speak like it's so foreign to witness a wild Pokémon washing itself. I've seen Leavanny use lakes in much the same fashion."

Gracia narrowed her gaze. "But what's that... stuff they leave behind?" she murmured. On closer inspection, it didn't just release when they were completely submerged; the ones standing upright seemed to have similar fog spreading from their legs.

"I don't know," Ranmaru insisted, "but I'd very much rather we didn't see what it does to humans who ingest it."

"Agreed," Oichi proclaimed. She glanced around the lake, finding a small stream leading to it. "Let's see if we can find the font that comes here."

The group carefully made their way around the water's edge, far enough into the trees that the Pheromosa were unlike to see them from a glance but not so far that they couldn't see the beasts themselves. After a moment, one Pheromosa indeed started to depart the lake - in the direction of their camp from earlier - and they remained still until they were certain it hadn't seen them; once it had passed, they resumed walking.

The stream came from up a noticeable hill - and the forestry seemed to grow thinner the higher up the hill they walked. There was indeed a clearing at the peak of the hill - wide enough that Oichi reckoned that Ranseans could pitch enough tents for an entire kingdom attack and escorts, but small enough that they could clearly see what lay in the middle. A strange rock formation stood there, upon the hill's centerpoint, from which the water was flowing into three different streams.

"Wow," Gracia murmured. "Is there a lake at the end of each of those?"

"I would wager so," Ranmaru observed. "And I doubt the beasts leave any of them untainted."

Oichi turned to the others. "Wait here," she insisted. "I'm worried the beasts might guard this place. If one tries to jump me when I get near, you'll be able to get it from behind."

She drew her staff off her back and started into the clearing, wary. Her eyes darted this way and that as she approached the stone formation; nothing tried to attack her, and once she was near enough, she reached a hand forward into the water's flow. It coursed over her hand, feeling no different than any water in Ransei; then she cupped her fingers and lifted some up to her mouth, drinking it quietly.

Those who claim water has no flavour have never drank polluted water; Oichi savoured the taste, and pulled her hand from her mouth with a sigh. "It's fresh."

"Lady Oichi?"

The voice from nearby drew her attention; a figure in red and white had come around the stone, with a parasol over one shoulder and a Volcarona at her side.

"Okuni!?"

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar after I end this chapter - just got the Ghost badge. I seem to have a pattern going, don't I? Get a badge, start a chapter, get a badge, finish a chapter. Gigantamax Gengar doesn't look nearly as intimidating as Mega Gengar... model-wise. But with Dynamax size on top of that, I absolutely dreaded that it's G-Max move was going to involve swallowing my Pokémon whole before I remembered that G-Max moves are just normal Max Moves with added effects after the impact. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Pheromosa  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Triple Kick  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Melee

Triple Kick (Fighting)  
-Attack area: single tile in front  
-Effect: hits 1-3 times, damage increasing


	14. Infested Wood: Hideous Inside

Draco: Progress in Galar as I start this chapter - just got the Fairy Badge. This quiz is so much less reasonable than the Cinnabar one. First question is about type matchups - they hand you that one, neither answer is wrong. Second question is the previous trainer's name - not something the average Trainer pays attention to, but no biggie. Third question is "what do I eat for breakfast" - what the actual frick? And then Opal's questions in the stadium are just random out-of-nowhere Mulch that is NOT mentioned on her League Card, or else expects you to give the WRONG answer for no reason whatsoever!

On a less hate-speechy note, I feel so stupid for seeing Cinderace's name and looking at the design and assuming "track athlete" despite the obvious ball-kicking animation for physical attacks in the evolutionary line. I didn't realize the intention was "association football player" until I used Pyro Ball.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Infested Wood: Hideous Inside**

"Delicious. Absolutely delicious. _So_ good."

When Kabuki Okuni had joined Oichi, Ranmaru, and Gracia for camp, her only request for a meal had been 'anything but berries'. As soon as Oichi had dished her up, she'd seized the platter and started eating bare-fingered before she had even started dishing up the others; Volcarona wasn't quite so hasty, but definitely seemed to be enjoying the Ponigiri more than they expected. Oichi's only hope was that the Pheromosa wouldn't come to them at the top of the hill with the spring.

"Alpha," Okuni cursed around a mouthful, "you never know how good something is until it's gone. Is that Moomoo Milk?" She seized the bottle when Oichi offered it and drained half in one go before setting it back down and returning to her plate.

Ranmaru shook his head. "The way you eat," he mused, "one would think you've not eaten at all these past four months."

"Nothing but berries and water in this forest. A couple is fine, but if there's anything else to eat you have them sparingly. So glad to have someth-"

She paused mid-word and mid-bite; slowly, her gaze drifted upward. Oichi awkwardly shuffled, forseeing the unpleasant question coming as Okuni swallowed her mouthful and asked, "Did you say four _months?_"

"Evia went missing from Ransei about that long ago," the healer explained. "When we sent word out to everyone about suspicious happenings, Nō mentioned you left for Valora and never showed up."

Okuni set her plate down. "You mean... I'm not the only one to end up here?"

"You're not the only one to have left Ransei," Ranmaru corrected. "This place will be isolated - as I'm sure you've noticed."

"Um... not exactly," Okuni admitted, fingering the handle of her folded parasol awkwardly. "I haven't been doing a whole lot of exploring."

Gracia hummed. "Well, we came looking for everyone about two months ago, give or take," she explained. "And this is the third place we've been to. There were these weird Poison-types in a sticky forest, then there was these giant Rock/Steel boxes in a huge maze... and now this place and it's Fighting/Bug kickboxers."

Ranmaru sighed, looking up at the still-bright skies; it wasn't that there was a sun above them so much as just an ambient light that seemed to have no source. "With the way some of these otherworlds lack day or night, I don't blame you for failing to notice how much time had passed."

"...Yeah," Okuni agreed halfheartedly. "That must've been it." She looked up. "So, if these places are isolated, how have you guys been traveling between them?"

The Cosmog popped up from behind Gracia and gave cheerful cries.

Okuni's mood brightened in an instant. "Holy Gratitude, where did you guys come from?" she squealed. "_So_ cute!"

"Aren't they?" Oichi had a smile on her face. "Meet the Cosmog. They're not much in a fight, but they can open these strange gates - that's how we've come to these otherworlds."

One floated towards Okuni, offering a 'hand' for her to shake; she tried to take it, and Oichi recognized the uncertain grasp of discovering they weren't quite solid. "So weird," she murmured, releasing the hand. "If you guys can open the gates, does that mean you can take me back to Ransei?"

The mood darkened around the camp. "...Not exactly," Gracia admitted. "They don't have a lot of control over where the gates go. And it takes a lot out of them to open one. So, the best we can do is get you out of this place in about a month."

"A month isn't much of a wait if there's company," Okuni observed. "And getting me out of this place is already an Alpha-send."

Ranmaru's gaze went upward. "You've not had the most pleasant experiences here?"

"There's nothing but berries," Okuni proclaimed.

Oichi turned to her. "That's not-"

"So," Okuni said quickly, changing the subject, "I take it you guys only got the three tents?"

"We weren't expecting quite so much difficulty finding everyone," Ranmaru mused, "so we hadn't expected the need for an entourage of tents."

"In that case," Okuni contemplated, "who should I double up with?"

Ranmaru chuckled. "I assume I'm out of the question."

"Only if you don't want to," Okuni assured him, and giggled when the Dragnoran blushed. "I mean, if you're comfortable..."

"You can sleep with me," Gracia insisted. "I don't take up so much room."

It was Oichi's turn to giggle when Okuni glared at Gracia. Ranmaru quickly nodded. "Yes, that sounds ideal."

"Spoilsport."

+x+x+x+

The next morning(?), Oichi gave Okuni a com-crystal bracelet and earpiece; after stocking up their drink supply from the font, the group elected to follow the streams, to see how many of them were host to the Pheromosa.

"So you're saying those things are 'beasts'?" Okuni observed. "Meaning what?"

"We're not certain yet what exactly that means," Ranmaru admitted. "But when I tried to Link with one in the bog, it seemed to... _refuse_ the Link, somehow."

Okuni hummed. "Well, how many times have you Linked with Poison-types?"

"Twenty-six."

"_What._"

Oichi shook her head. "In our youth, Ranmaru made and broke Links more times than I care to remember, trying to find his perfect partner." She giggled, turning to him. "I never did see you Link with a Riolu. You _squeed_ so hard when you made a Link with a Dratini."

Lucario gave a growl of protest as Ranmaru shook his head. "That was the first time the Link was any stronger than 'fine, I'll fight with you'."

"Fair."

Gracia was at the fore of the group, and she gave a quick "Stop" as the stream reached its terminus, causing the march to halt. Unlike the expansive, shallow lake where the Pheromosa had been bathing, this one had ended in a rather deep, narrow pool. "What's up with this?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "Don't drink from anything that's pooled," he warned. "We have no way of knowing what the Pheromosa have washed in and what they haven't. Don't even wade into it if you can avoid it."

"Good call," Okuni praised. Then, uncertainly; "They don't spend a lot of time out of the trees, you sure you wanna leave the hill?"

"We need to supply," Oichi insisted. "We can fight off the beasts in small numbers - and with you on our side, I bet we can take a pair, at least."

Okuni fidgeted awkwardly as the others started to step around the pool; Null ended up having to nudge her from behind to get her going. "So, what's the story with this one?" she asked.

"No idea, yet," Oichi replied. "He's man-made, he's called Type: Null, his mask is inhibiting something, and he was put into cryonic stasis with a box of discs for something called Type: Full."

"Stasis?" Okuni echoed. "That's... not something that can happen in Ransei."

Oichi nodded. "That's what I said."

"Okay, but wait..." Okuni shook her head. "How did you get him _out_ of stasis?"

"Father knows the Winterbird," Gracia replied.

"_What?_" Okuni seemed offended. "How come Lady Nō never told me about this?"

"Because Father never told Lady Nō about that," Gracia explained. "In fact, I don't even think he told Lord Nobunaga about that."

Okuni crossed her arms. "Why the secrecy?"

Gracia hummed. "He was being way too overcareful," she admitted. "He didn't even know if a Legendary Pokémon would wanna help with Null or not."

"After Lord Nobunaga had two of them help conquer Ransei?" Okuni wondered.

"That's what _I_ said!" Gracia agreed.

Ranmaru shook his head. "The Black Yang only aided him once Lady Evia had taken enough for him to be _defending_ kingdoms rather than _taking_ them," he insisted. "And the Sky Demon only for the battle atop the Tower of Infinity."

"And to get him back to Ransei in time for the wedding," Oichi observed.

Okuni giggled at that. "Still," she mused, "they were willing to help him do _that_, the Winterbird wouldn't say no to helping save a Pokémon from-"

A tree branch shifted to the group's left, leaves brushing against each other for a noise that could only be heard in a forest, and the entire entourage came to a halt. Null took an aggressive stance and was about to charge in the direction of the sound when another shift sounded, in the _opposite_ direction. The group fell back-to-back before two more shifts were heard - and they promptly took a four-point formation, desperately hoping they were wrong.

Ranmaru sighed. "And I thought a wall lined with beasts was too much to handle," he muttered.

"_Lined_ with them?" Okuni echoed.

"Lined with heavy, slow-moving Stakataka," Ranmaru elaborated, "that prioritize rate of fire over power, against whom we had a type advantage, in a labyrinth whose passages could only facilitate two side-by-side, where one hit would cause a cascade that slowed down the lot."

The branches in four directions shifted again as the beasts leapt from them, and four Pheromosa landed around them.

"I didn't know when I was well off."

Null roared, charging at the beast straight ahead of him; the other three promptly charged him while his back was turned, and no sooner had his Crush Claw struck his target than the rest were bombarding him with Triple Kicks. Gracia bashed her bracelets together as Gothitelle used the opportunity of so many enemies gathered close together; Oichi drove her staff into the ground, causing a soft light to wash over Null and tend his wounds. Okuni stepped into a brief dancing turn, and power welled up around all the gathered Pokémon as Lucario leapt into the air and hurled an Aura Sphere at the Pheromosa that Null had struck, throwing it clear and giving Null passage to dash out of the kill zone.

Volcarona leapt into the center before they could gather, and flames gathered around her; then she twisted left and right, and her Fiery Dance scattered flames into the three Pheromosa around her. No sooner had the blaze started to subside than Gothitelle's Future Sight struck the beasts - including the one that had been forced back in the meantime, which promptly found itself thrown deeper into the woods when Null slammed another Crush Claw into it. He quickly decided against chasing after it and charged back at the gathering; one of the Pheromosa charged at him in return, and another approached Lucario as he landed, slamming a Triple Kick into him rapidly before he could try to evade.

The last made to do the same to the Aura Pokémon - and found its leg caught on something.

"_Enough of you!_"

Oichi yelped when she realized Okuni had charged up to the beast and _hooked her folded parasol on its ankle_; she promptly seized the body of the parasol and dragged it into a skyward swing that flung the Pheromosa into a painful-looking backflip. Volcarona promptly leapt close to blaze it and the one that had attacked Lucario with another Fiery Dance; Null was trading dreadful blows with the third, and managed to finish it off before it did the same to him. Oichi held him back from joining the melee as Volcarona finished off the one that had been knocked down; the last realized it was outmatched and made to dash away, but Okuni opened her parasol and threw it at a tree with such trajectory that it ricocheted back and bashed the beast in the face, leaving it reeling backwards.

It bounced off another tree and back to Okuni, and she caught it, folded it, and slammed it angrily into the beast's torso, knocking it to the floor.

Everyone save for Volcarona was watching dumbfounded as Okuni glanced around the clearing; satisfied that the beasts had all been knocked out, she opened her parasol and hooked it over her shoulder, turning away with an irritable air. "Good riddance to those beasts."

She started deeper into the woods, and the group traded glances before making to follow her. Ranmaru came up at Okuni's side quickly. "That is... most unlike you," he observed. "Have they given you some grievance?"

"Spending any amount of time around those things makes your senses dull," she declared. "They exploit that."

Gracia angled her head curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Exploit it how?"

Okuni turned a very deep red very quickly. "Nothing."

"But you just-"

"I said it's nothing!"

"Okay."

Oichi glanced back at the fight zone before stepping up. "How exactly does it 'make your senses dull'?" she asked.

Okuni shook her head. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed," she insisted. "They give off some kind of pheromone. The first time I saw one, I was awestruck."

"We, um..." Oichi hummed. "They're not the first beasts we've encountered," she admitted. "Maybe that preconception means it didn't affect us quite so much."

"Your preconception was accurate," Okuni proclaimed. "Horrible things, these ones. The beasts you've described so far don't sound nearly so dreadful."

Ranmaru turned to her. "Little devils who attack Warriors that try to Link, and formations of minute bricks with eyes, don't seem so dreadful as a beast that happens to look lovely?"

The blush returned to Okuni's face again. "No, they don't."

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar as I end this chapter - just watched Opal cart off Bede. It's like that fricker doesn't even understand what he did wrong. I hope to discover being that old hag's successor means he suffers long and hard.


	15. Voltaic Construct: Raging Storm

Draco: Progress in Galar while I start this chapter - got the Ice Badge and the Water Mode for the Rotom Bike. When I looked up evolutionary stone locations, they kept coming up as being found in the Lake of Outrage in the Wild Area; I assumed that meant a randomized spawn. Then I got there and found stones underneath a #RingOfStandingStones, and I figured "Oh, sweet, one for each." Yeah, nope. There's ten different evolutionary stones and only six spawns in the ring. I need a Sun Stone and I didn't get one on my first visit. #YankTheDogsChain

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Voltaic Construct: Raging Storm**

A shimmering cry from the Cosmog roused Okuni from a relatively peaceful slumber, roughly four weeks after Oichi and the others had found her. By the time she'd opened her eyes and her vision had cleared, Gracia was already sitting upright, petting the two gently.

"What's up?" Okuni murmured.

"A good rest is what's up," Gracia replied. "The Cosmog are ready to open another gate."

Okuni almost shot up at that. "Really?" she mused, smiling. "Wonderful. The sooner we can leave this wood, the better."

They made their way out of the tent and found Oichi and Ranmaru already preparing breakfast. As much as Okuni had been overeager to eat anything but berries, she understood the wisdom of rationing their remaining non-berry food to keep a variety up before they reached their next chance to resupply; thus she accepted a plate full of berries with no objection.

"So," she observed, "your packs can hold enough food for three Warriors and their Pokémon to last three months. Did you guys have a plan for what to do if your third destination _didn't _have anything to eat?"

"Yes, we did," Oichi replied. "If we've reached a third place and there's still nothing to resupply with, we cut back to one meal per day. A little less to eat, a little longer we have anything to eat at all." Then, looking up to Okuni awkwardly. "That being said, with an extra traveler, we might need to cut back sooner."

Okuni nodded. "I understand. I'm fortunate enough to have ended up in a world with anything to eat at all. If you'd rather I-"

"Woah woah woah, no!" Gracia interrupted. "We're not gonna make you stay behind! We've got no idea if we'll ever be able to come back here again!"

"Indeed," Ranmaru assured her. "If we find our next destination is Ransei, leaving you here with the Pheromosa would be unforgivable. You'll come with us."

"Thank you," Okuni praised.

The Cosmog started working on opening the gate while everyone was packing; Oichi had just finished equipping Null's pack when the rift was thrown wide. Gracia and Gothitelle led the charge as per usual, followed quickly by Okuni and Volcarona. Ranmaru and Lucario leapt in next, and Oichi directed Null to charge in before glancing around the wood.

No Pheromosa waiting in the shadows; she quickly dashed to the rift and leapt in before it vanished without her.

+x+x+x+

There was a much harder surface beneath her feet when she landed on the other end.

The gate seemed to have deposited them in an _enclosure_ of some kind. Dim fluorescent tubes were spaced along the roof, offering some measure of light to the area; the walls were pale metal, and the floor of similar build, though portions of it were a grating of some kind. A few points in the walls were missing, revealing exposed wires that seemed to spark infrequently; there was a small opening that looked like it had once been double doors, leading into a similarly poorly-lit area.

"Is this... a _power plant?_" Okuni asked uncertainly.

"So it would seem," Ranmaru observed.

Gracia shuddered. "Now I'm half expecting to find innocent bumps on the ground that turn out to be Voltorb waiting to explode, or something."

Oichi shook her head. "We haven't seen any familiar Pokémon in the beast's worlds," she pointed out, "I doubt this will be any exception." She eyed the walls warily. "Still, be careful. Just because there's no Electric-types around doesn't mean we can't get electrified if we're not careful."

Ranmaru turned to her. "Speaking from experience?"

"Don't act like you haven't seen the Violight battlefield," Oichi retorted.

The group carefully started to advance, marching two-by-two with Null and Oichi at the fore. Through the doorway was a long hallway in a similar state of disrepair, although the lighting was much worse off - noticeably flickering between bright and dim. At the end of the hall was another room that formed a T-intersection.

"It's that Distorted labyrinth all over again," Ranmaru muttered.

"Two paths and four of us," Okuni observed. "Split up?"

Gracia slapped her. "Don't even joke about that," she reprimanded. "We don't even know what kind of beasts are around here. If we split up, I just know that the ones at a disadvantage are going to end up running into one."

Oichi glanced between the paths. "Left-hand path," she recalled. Then, before Null could act on the suggestion; "No, don't hit anything. We don't want you getting zapped."

At the end of that path, they came upon a more intact pair of double doors. The latches weren't intact, and one wasn't connected to the door frame so much as just propped against the other, and that other only had one hinge still intact - but the doors were still in the gap. Lucario carefully shifted the disconnected door over, and Oichi pushed the other open on its lone hinge.

On the other side of the door was the exterior of the plant; it seemed for all the world that they were atop a mountain, with a storm encircling it. Black stone extended all of half a meter from the walkway before descending at a very steep angle; a good distance away were clouds so dark that the Sky Demon could have flown through them unseen, were it not for the lightning crackling between them. The walkway was narrow enough that any advancement would have to be single-file, with only a very thin railing between them and the drop - a railing that only had a bar at waist height, except for the support points, and no grating to fill the remainder. Peeking around the edge revealed a staircase leading to an upper level on the exterior.

There was quiet for a moment among the Ransean warriors as they regarded what they could see outside.

Ranmaru drew close to Oichi. "Does this remind you in some way of-"

"Yes," Oichi confirmed.

Okuni pursed her lips briefly. "I'm thinking maybe we shouldn't-"

"No," Graca agreed.

Oichi pulled the connected door back to a closed position and braced it so that its other hinge was still against the wall; Lucario put the disconnected door against it, and the group reversed its movement so that Okuni and Volcarona were at the fore.

When they arrived back at the T-intersection, they advanced down the opposite path. This took them to something marginally less treacherous - a broader walkway (with a sturdier-looking railing) around what looked like a massive mess of clockwork. Sizeable spotlights were positioned along the walls, and although they seemed to be fairly dim, they were illuminating this place well enough; a faint grinding sound could be heard as they all arrived on the walkway, and after a moment everyone realized that the gears were _turning_, albeit fairly slowly.

"What's powering this place?" Okuni murmured.

Gracia hummed. "Maybe it's wind power?"

"That's not impossible," Oichi admitted. "But that storm raging outside should be giving more power than this."

"It might just be rather... ineffective wind power," Ranmaru suggested.

Null's growl drew everyone's attention; his gaze was skyward, and when they followed it, they were surprised at what they found. Something was hanging off the roof - it looked like a tangle of wires ending in a starburst bulb, but it was waving back and forth, despite there being no wind in here. Furthermore, it was _shining_, far brighter than any of the other light sources in the plant; it was providing most of the illumination in this room.

"Is that... a beast?" Okuni murmured.

Oichi's eyes swirled purple. "It is," she exclaimed. "And with that much voltage... it's siphoning from this place."

The beast's motion ceased, and its wires started to part from the ceiling.

Ranmaru started. "It knows we're here!"

The gears accelerated abruptly, the lights intensified such that everyone was nearly blinded, and the beast _screeched_ \- a high-pitched cry like static through helium - before swinging towards the Ranseans and releasing the ceiling. The Warriors and their Pokémon split, half and half, with the Cosmog retreating back into the hallway they'd come through; the beast found itself landing between them, and it slammed its wires to the ground as lightning gathered around it.

Null was the only one still in range when the voltage burst - and he retaliated, lunging forward and swiping a Crush Claw across its body. Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at it from the other side, and Volcarona leapt forward, twisting into a Fiery Dance that blazed the beast and the railing next to her. Gothitelle unleashed a surge of power as Null made to attack again; the beast sidestepped this blow, and its wires seemed to cling to the wall, giving it leverage to climb up and out of Null and Volcarona's attack range.

The lights dimmed once more, and Gracia stumbled back. "It's siphoning again!" she realized.

Lucario leapt up, hurling an Aura Sphere at it, the attack connected, but didn't have enough impact to throw it from the wall. He was still descending when Gothitelle's Future Sight burst out around it - and with its spindly, flexible body, an attack that struck from all directions forced its body to bundle up. The bulb of its head had more inertia than its wires, which meant it was propelled away from the wall - and off the walkway.

Everyone winced as it passed over the edge, dreading the sound that would follow.

A heavy _thud_ quelled those concerns; Oichi dashed up to the railing, and found it had landed on what looked like a mobile maintenance platform. For a moment, it started to rise again... but its wires wouldn't support it, and it slumped back onto the surface.

She breathed a sigh of relief, stepping away. "Okay," she murmured. "That one's down."

The Cosmog warily floated back through the doorway, giving worried cries; Gracia stepped up to them, setting a hand on each. "Glad you guys didn't Teleport," she praised. "No idea where you would've ended up here if you had."

Oichi glanced around the open area. "Let's find out where else there is to go here," she observed.

+x+x+x+

There were three more hallways accessible from the gearwork chamber, one on each wall; the leftmost one from their entrance took them to two other rooms that seemed to be holding giant power cells, and another exterior walkway.

"So," Gracia suggested as they left the gearwork down the next hall, "I'm gonna assume we don't want to make camp outside."

"I know I'm not gonna be able to sleep in a storm that bad," Okuni confirmed.

Ranmaru shook his head. "If we cannot find a room where the beasts are less likely to approach us, we may not have a choice."

Oichi sighed. "I don't know if they'll be so unwilling to come after us on the roof," she argued. "They're able to draw power straight from the walls, who's to say the roof is any better..."

She came to a halt; they'd reached another crossroads, but directly opposite them was an immediate room with its door open.

"...insulated..."

Null gave a wary cry as she stepped towards it, peering inside. One wall was covered in screens that seemed to be displaying data of some sort; the scripture was no more recognizable than that on the Stakataka's labyrinth, but the non-text images were progress bars, coloured symbols.

"What in Distortion?" she murmured.

Okuni stepped in after her. "This looks like a Violitian control room." There was concern in her voice as she said it.

Oichi looked over the wall and stepped back. "This isn't just a power plant," she realized. "This place serves some kind of... purpose."

"But what purpose?" Gracia asked.

Ranmaru crossed his arms, glancing at the Cosmog. "...It seems we have something with which to spend time while you rest."

"Finding out what this place is for," Oichi declared.

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar while I end this chapter - got the Dragon Badge. Thank Alpha I'd been in Orre and Pokétopia in the meantime. Training my Double Battle tactics while I was waiting for the turn of the Generation paid off in spades.

Side note, why the hell is the Gym Challenge such a titanic **deal** in Galar? I mean, facing the Gyms in Kanto to Kalos is a respectable journey, sure, and the Alolan island challenge is basically a rite of passage, but if Trainers are halfway through collecting Z-Crystals and civilian areas start _exploding_, the explosions take precedence. Yeesh. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Xurkitree  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Discharge  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Sequence


	16. Voltaic Construct: Electric Mayhem

Draco: Progress in Galar as I start this chapter - just arrived in Wyndon. Turns out, the circle of rocks on the Lake of Outrage only has six spawns the _first_ time; after that, it's one spawn on the easternmost rock, and you'd better hope you get the stone you're looking for. No such luck for my Sun Stone search. Screw it, I'll just use a Leaf Stone.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Voltaic Construct: Electric Mayhem**

A nudging roused Oichi from her slumber... although she wasn't as quick to rise as she would have liked. The Ranseans had eventually found a room expansive enough for them to pitch their tents and uninteresting enough that the beasts - 'Xurkitree', as the Cosmog had identified them - were unlikely to come to it. That said, trying to fall asleep on a surface as hard as a building floor was much harder than trying to sleep on soft ground, and it had left Oichi stiff in her slumber, loathe to wake.

As she swept the sleep from her eyes, she found Type: Null had poked his head into her tent and was prodding her.

"Null?" Oichi sat up much more quickly. "Just a moment..."

She picked up her things and stepped out to find the others were serving out breakfast; Okuni handed Oichi a plate full of berries as she sat down. "Something happen?"

"You could say that," Okuni admitted, her voice low.

Her volume made it clear that it was something to be concerned about. "What is it?" Oichi whispered.

"While I was on watch," Ranmaru prompted, "a Xurkitree walked past this room."

Oichi's eyes widened in terror, and she glanced at Null.

"He didn't charge it," Ranmaru insisted. "But the beasts are _patrolling_ this place. I suspect that whatever purpose it serves, it is a boon to them - and so they defend it."

"Defend it from what?" Oichi murmured.

"That's what I wanna know," Gracia agreed. "Like, how many people end up in otherworlds, anyways?"

"An apt question," Okuni mused. "But you're just the first ones from Ransei who ended up in an otherworld on purpose - even if you couldn't control which."

"Fair," Gracia conceded.

Once they'd eaten and packed up, Oichi glanced into the hall to make sure the Xurkitree patrol wasn't about to come up on them. They weren't terribly far from the room full of displays they'd found yesterday; she pulled back into the room and turned to the others. "So," she mused, "do we see what's outside, or do we search deeper into the building?"

"I really don't want to go outside with a party this big," Okuni insisted. "Those walkways weren't nearly big enough to host such an entourage."

Ranmaru shook his head. "Given precedent," he mused, "the storm is not like to have subsided. If the winds are any stronger from one direction or another, we could be thrown to our deaths."

"I don't think I wanna end up in a fight that might end by ring-out," Gracia agreed.

Oichi nodded. "Deeper it is."

+x+x+x+

"Oh, wonderful. More stairs."

Okuni's displeased utterance was quickly followed by a groan of protest from Gracia. "Not just stairs," she muttered, "a back-and-forth stairwell." It was barely the day after they'd discovered the Xurkitree were on patrol; they hadn't had any fights since the one in the gearwork mess, and everyone was still opposed to going out into the storm.

"It's safer this way," Oichi insisted. "If we stumble, we don't have so far to fall until the next landing."

"But Null's _heavy_," Gracia argued. "Can these stairs even hold his weight?"

Oichi glared at her. "That's... actually a good question," she realized.

Everyone cleared back, and Oichi instructed Null to step forward. He seemed to realize the danger quite quickly; there was wariness of his own as he reached one foreleg to the first step and put his weight on it.

The stair held.

"Now, we have another question," Ranmaru observed. "Which side do we wish to be trapped on if something were to cause a structural failure?"

"The low end," Okuni suggested.

Ranmaru turned to her. "Sorry?"

"The Cosmog can open gates just about anywhere, right?" Okuni asked. "But if Null's in the lead and something sends him crashing through the stairs, we're stuck on the upper floor and Null's stuck at the bottom - he can't get to the gate."

"Fair enough," Oichi conceded. "Null and I will bring up the back, then."

Lucario and Ranmaru led the group; Gothitelle followed close behind, with Gracia and the Cosmog behind her; Okuni followed behind them, and Volcarona, Oichi, and Null brought up the back. Concerns about a structural failure and distance between groups were unfounded, however; the stairs only lasted three landings with no doors between them before they reached a terminating landing with a door. "Well, that's not a clever design," Gracia muttered.

"You were _just_ complaining about a back-and-forth stairwell!" Okuni reprimanded.

"Yeah, because I get dizzy if I have to run up stairs that are set up like that," Gracia defended as Ranmaru opened the door into a hallway. "But if this place is supposed to do something, it's safer to have a back-and-forth stairwell that makes you dizzy than having to run the length of the building to one set of stairs and then run the length of the building again."

"How do you even know there's more than two floors to this place?" Okuni argued.

Gracia fell quiet abruptly.

The hall terminated at a double-door; Ranmaru pushed it open and immediately stumbled back, letting its mechanism pull it closed again. "Oh, dear," he murmured.

"Something wrong?" Oichi asked.

"Xurkitree en masse," Ranmaru replied. "The beasts are _swarmed_ in there."

Oichi sighed. "Wonderful." Then; "Wait, let me get a look..."

She pushed the door open just enough to peer inside. Xurkitree were indeed swarmed in there - and in much more variable sizes than most Pokémon that Oichi knew of - but many of them were hanging from the ceiling lifelessly, or slumped on the floor, the ends of their wires impaled in the surfaces... and she could see electricity flowing along their bodies.

"They're... sleeping," she observed. "Or maybe... recharging?"

"And how favourable do you suspect are our odds of getting across the room without rousing any of them?" Ranmaru asked.

Oichi pulled away, letting the door close again. "Fair enough. Back upstairs we go, then." She made her way back to Null's side. "Still... maybe that's the only purpose this place is meant to serve."

Okuni seemed surprised. "You mean it's just a Xurkitree recharge station?"

"All the beasts we've run into so far have been in places that seemed like what they'd like," Gracia observed. "Pheromosa in a forest, Stakataka in a rock maze, Poipole in a bog that makes Viperia look healthy..."

"It can't be so simple," Ranmaru murmured. "Those displays seemed to indicate something more... focused than that. Something that required attention."

They made their way up the stairs; Null pushed the door on the top landing open... and promptly gave a roar that echoed unpleasantly loudly through the stairwell. Nobody had much of a chance to comprehend what had happened before he charged out - and straight at a Xurkitree on patrol.

"Dammit!" Oichi dashed after him. "It had to be in the hallway! There's barely any room here!"

The Xurkitree tanked a Crush Claw and promptly Discharged in retaliation as the Ranseans were charging out of the stairs; Lucario managed to throw an Aura Sphere without hitting Null first, the projectile slamming into the beast and throwing it further down the hall. Oichi directed Null to dash past the beast while it was recovering; by the time it had risen again, he was on its other side, giving the rest of them a clear line of sight as he slammed another Crush Claw into it. Volcarona leapt forward and twisted into a Fiery Dance, flames bombarding the Xurkitree and searing the walls around her; the beast tried to Discharge again, but Null managed to retreat just far enough that the voltage only licked him.

Lucario hurled one more Aura Sphere at the beast, and the attack slammed into its bulb, throwing it into the wall - whereupon it slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Oichi stopped Null from attacking it again; the group quickly passed the beast, returning to the nearest intersection. The last remaining path there took them to a right-hand turn with an exit door on one wall; the path shortly after was a dead-end full of power cells.

"Nowhere left to go but outside," Ranmaru observed. "Unless we should try to pass the sleeping ones."

Gracia shuddered. "Lesser of two evils," she muttered. "Let's go out, then."

They made their way back to the corner, and the door was opened as carefully as was possible. The storm was still raging as Ranmaru peered outside; to the surprise of all, the walkways extended up a set of stairs and down a slope to the lower floor.

"Up, or down?" Ranmaru wondered.

"Down," Okuni suggested. "If the wind above is strong enough..."

"Let me and Null try the upward path," Oichi proposed.

Gracia rounded on her. "What? Why?"

"Null's helmet is heavy enough to slow him down," Oichi explained. "That'll give him better resistance against the wind - and I can keep a hand on him to stop myself from being blown around."

Ranmaru seemed uncertain. "Be very careful," he warned.

"Of course."

They stepped out warily onto the walkway; the metal creaked under Null's footsteps, but still held fast. To Oichi's surprise, despite the motion of the clouds around them, there wasn't much gale on the upper level; it was as though the plant were built in the eye of an unmoving storm. Furthermore, there was a structure atop the building - a sizeable rooftop room around which was built what looked like a combination lightning rod and Tesla coil writ large.

As she watched, power suddenly surged up the coil - and voltage seemed to burst out _into the clouds_ from the peak of the coil, dispersing in the storm.

"Wow. Motonari would have a field day writing about this place."

Null waited at the top of the stairs as she told the others it would be safe; then they advanced towards the room. There was plenty of room in here for everyone to stand; this one also hosted a wall full of screens, but unlike the previous one, this seemed to be mostly maps. Six screens, arrayed two-by-three, seemed to be hosting floor layouts, while a seventh, standing between them, showed what seemed to be a full-bodied image of the plant, slowly rotating. Most of the image was in green, with yellow lines tracing the layout; certain rooms were in dark red, a few others had red patches, and several red dots seemed to be moving throughout the area.

Okuni stepped forward. "This is starting to make sense," she murmured.

"It is?" Gracia asked.

"This one's mostly images," Okuni observed. "Guess you were right about the poor stair design, there's at least seven stories to this place." She traced one of the layout screens. "This one looks like the top floor. This would be where we came out of the gate, this is that big room where we fought the first one, and here were our campsites." She narrowed her gaze. "But what's all the red?"

"Perhaps... it's the Xurkitree?" Ranmaru wondered. He beckoned to the larger map. "Look, this would be the nesting room we found earlier. It must be tracking their movements."

"That can't be," Okuni muttered, tapping one of the patched rooms. "This room didn't have any beasts in it."

Gracia hummed. "That one had those power cells... Oh, maybe it's the electricity? They're Electric-types, maybe it's following their-"

The sound of a charge caused everyone to pull away from the screen fearfully; Oichi glanced out the open door and realized the power was flowing up the coil again. She glanced towards the screens to see the red flowing over the top of the structure, and then a pulse of red emerge from the top of the map as she heard the burst outside.

"Looks like you're spot on," Okuni mused. "Oh?" The patched rooms had lost their red; then they were starting to fill again, from the bottom of the structure.

"Okay, but now that doesn't make sense," Gracia muttered. "That electricity just... got shot out into the clouds."

Ranmaru crossed his arms. "I thought this was a power plant of some kind," he muttered. "Why would it be so wasteful of the power if it was to-"

Oichi gasped, stumbling back and colliding with Null. The artificial Pokémon gave a cry of protest, drawing everyone's attention as her hands covered her mouth. "Lady Oichi?" Okuni asked. "What is it?"

"I'm so stupid," she muttered. "I'm so stupid. I had it backwards. I'm so stupid!"

Gracia stepped up to her. "What did you have backwards?"

"The swarm," Oichi insisted. "The sleeping beasts. They weren't charging themselves with the plant's electricity - they're _powering the plant_ with **their** electricity."

"What?" Ranmaru exclaimed.

Oichi shook her head. "Electric-type Pokémon don't gather electricity from elsewhere - not as their primary source. They generate electricity within themselves. The Xurkitree are no different. They're filling this place with power to sustain each other." She stepped up to the map screens. "It's some kind of symbiosis. All these rooms full of red, they're where the beasts are swarming. They're letting the electricity they generate flow through the building. And the ones on patrol are... feeding off of it."

"Feeding?" Okuni echoed. "What do you mean?"

"It's a closed system," Oichi explained. "The ones on patrol had more power than the ones in the swarm. When they're awake, they consume the electricity running through the building. Then when they're 'full', they go to one of the swarming rooms and they... sleep, I guess. And the power they've consumed just sort of... flows out of them." She shook her head. "But they generate electricity themselves. There's more power going into the building than there is going into the Xurkitree."

Gracia pointed to the patchy rooms. "Then what are the power cells for?"

"They must be receptacles for the excess," Oichi hypothesized. "Anything that doesn't get consumed by the Xurkitree gets pumped into those. But they can only hold so much - that's what this is for. When the power cells are full, everything gets pumped up here and discharged into the clouds, and they're empty for the excess to start filling them again. With so many Xurkitree, it doesn't take long for the cycle to propagate."

"But... wait," Ranmaru muttered. "The beasts discharge rather powerful electricity in battle. Wouldn't the fluctuation risk... overloading the system?"

"There's a lot of power cells on this map," Okuni observed. "Plus the lighting everywhere. That gearwork was taking up power, too, and who knows what else is in this place. There would have to be a **huge** amount of extra power going into the system at once in order to overload them all."

Oichi's gaze fell. "And the beasts we've met so far haven't been hostile against each other. In order for enough Xurkitree to be fighting simultaneously to add that much extra power to the system at once, we'd have to..."

Ranmaru turned to her when she trailed off. "We'd have to what?"

"...Walk into one of the swarming rooms," Oichi muttered. "If one of them woke up, it would awaken the others when it tried to attack us. And if all of them attacked us at once, it would blow the system out. With the system blown out, the beasts wouldn't be receiving electricity... and they wouldn't get full enough to go to sleep. Which means..."

"The entire plant full of beasts would be awake at once," Gracia whispered.

Silence filled the room.

"...We can't keep exploring this place," Okuni realized. "If we get into a fight with a patrol and didn't realize we were getting close to one of the swarming rooms, we'd risk blowing the plant out. It's not just having all the Xurkitree awake - all the lights would be out, and the closed corridors would mean we're completely blacked-out. The only light we'd have to go by would be what the Xurkitree give off, and that means we wouldn't be able to _run away_."

"We gotta find a place to make camp," Gracia suggested.

"And we need to stay there," Ranmaru proclaimed, "so we don't risk angering the patrols."

The coil outside surged again as the group contemplated what the remainder of the month would entail.

* * *

Draco: Progress in Galar as I finish this chapter - **[SPOILER REDACTED]**. I think I'm just about done the game completely. Just the vs. Champion fight and whatever post-credits episode they've got for this Generation. (Never did complete Episode RR in Generation VII, I got pissy when I thought they forced me into it after I caught the Ultra-exclusive Beasts.)


	17. Rich Earth: Fond Memories of Misery

Draco: Credits rolling on Pokémon Shield as I start this chapter, think I'm gonna take a break from Galar. Not the most exceptional #CreativeClosingCredits I've ever seen, but I like the type-background progression. Was wondering where the Hall of Fame was going to be before I reached the title screen, and there's my team. Plus the Rillaboom/Obstagoon/Toxtricity×2 band that kicked things off was ace.

...How do you know you've been contemplating a fanfic subconsciously? If the game takes place in area with significantly different slang than yours, and you start using that slang. You're trying to accustom yourself to the characters' linguistic fashions so that if you write a story involving those characters, you don't force your regional slang on the world. Like I needed another one brewing.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Rich Earth: Fond Memories of Misery**

"Fool's mate. That's what I get for playing chess first thing in the morning."

Gracia stepped out of her tent with the Cosmog to find Okuni and Ranmaru hunched over a chessboard - which was to say, a drawing of a chessboard and written moves on the floor around it. With no one willing to continue exploring the plant and risk awakening every Xurkitree in the area, they'd isolated themselves to the top floor, where there were no swarming rooms; Null's restlessness around beasts had led to the occasional jump on a patrol that passed their camp, but for the most part everyone had tried to avoid battle - so alternative means to pass the time were required.

Chess was the sixth game in four weeks.

Oichi was watching the game; as Ranmaru contemplated his loss, she glanced up to Gracia. "Morning."

"Morning," Gracia returned. "You guys ready to get out of here?"

"Quite," Ranmaru agreed. "Shall we take to the roof before we open the gate?"

"Not sure that's necessary," Okuni observed, "but I guess it'd stop the patrols from walking in on us."

+x+x+x+

Once they were on the roof, the gate was opened without trouble, and the Ranseans leapt in.

The environment on the other side was bizarre; it was hard to describe it as much else but _farmland_. The gate deposited them in a valley of sorts, with stone walls on either side - and a large expanse of _dirt_ ahead of them. Not just barren dirt, either, but dirt tilled so perfectly Oichi would swear a platoon of well-trained Diglett had run through it if she'd found such environs in Ransei; grass was growing along the valley walls broad enough to host two-by-two, water that seemed to be relatively clear flowed between some of the rows, and on closer inspection it was clear something was _growing_ in the tilled earth.

"Okay," Gracia murmured, "this is getting weird."

Ranmaru stepped up to one of the plants; pulling on it sharply revealed it to be an herb or root of some sort. "Well," he mused, "we've more supplies."

"Herbs and berries," Okuni sighed. "Volume over variety, right?" They'd depleted the last of the food supplies from Ransei in the Xurkitree's plant.

"I don't blame you for not liking it," Oichi agreed. "I mean, better to have more, but still. When Evia and I get back to Ransei, I'm going to put Aurora Castle on lockdown and order a banquet to feed three kingdoms' worth of Warriors."

Silence draped the group at her words.

And before anyone could break it, an _explosive_ sound from ahead drew everyone's attention.

"What the Mulch?" Gracia muttered. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Okuni admitted, "but we should probably check it out before we try and gather."

Ranmaru got to his feet. "Get on the grass," he advised, "it'll offer better traction."

The group made their way to one of the grass paths before starting towards the sound. What they found caught everyone off-guard; there was a large _crater_ in the dirt, at what seemed to be an intersection of some sort between three valleys. Large chunks of solidified dirt were scattered around it, and floating above it were three towering, metallic figures - two pillar-like structures with slanted tops, and a broader shape between them that looked vaguely aerodynamic, each with multiple small protrusions at the base that looked like a cross between bamboo shoots and metal pipes.

Null growled as he saw it; Oichi held him back from charging. "Don't."

"Do we fight it?" Ranmaru asked.

"No," Oichi declared. "Not if we don't need to."

The center figure rotated, revealing a hollow from near the center of its build upward; a thin length extended from the base of the hollow to a round shape near the point that looked vaguely like a closed mouth.

"Now it's attacking," Okuni dreaded.

"It's not attacking," Gracia insisted.

One of the pillars started to rotate.

"It's attacking," Gracia backspaced.

Everyone pulled back as the pillar slammed into the ground - nowhere near where they would have been standing, but making impact nonetheless. The other pillar performed the same motion, its protrusions seeming to _grip_ the earth, and then light began to well in the hollow of the main body; after a short moment, the mouth opened, and with a deep cry, that light burst out, slamming into the valley wall just shy of hitting Gothitelle full-on and leaving stone fragments tumbling.

Once the attack had flown, Null charged forward; Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere through the dust, and the attack hit the beast's center mass. It skidded backward, the pillars pulling back with it; as it righted itself again, Null got close enough to slam a Crush Claw into the beast's bottom protrusions. It did little in terms of damage, but it did have the beast's attention as Oichi directed him to circle around; once he was clear of the danger zone, Gothitelle swung her hand down for a surge of psychic power.

Volcarona advanced while the beast was trying to keep track of Null; she leapt forward and twisted into a Fiery Dance, flames scattering around her and searing her opponent. Lucario leapt skyward to throw another Aura Sphere without hitting either of his allies at close range; it hit the back of the hollow, and when the beast tried to turn around Null attacked it with another Crush Claw in an effort to keep its attention on him. Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarding it didn't let that last very long, and the beast turned back to the others and began to ready another Flash Cannon.

Lucario retreated to one side, Gothitelle retreated to the other, and Volcarona leapt to the beast's flank before blazing it again.

The beast cried out; its levitation ceased abruptly, and its center mass hit the ground, followed swiftly by its pillars.

Null made to attack it again, but Oichi swung her arm to stop him. "No, Null, get back!"

Her eyes were swirling purple, and Ranmaru turned to her. "Lady Oichi?"

"It's doing something!" Oichi warned. "Everyone take cover!"

Warriors and Pokémon alike retreated towards the rubble broken by the beast's first Flash Cannon; after a moment, its lower protrusions started to glow with _heat_. Null just managed to dash around the largest chunk before another _blast_ sounded; flames ripped out of the protrusions, redirected by the crater towards the beast that source them, and it started to soar skyward.

Before the dust had even cleared, the beast was gone into the sky.

_What the hell was that?_ Oichi tried to utter the words, but realized she didn't hear them. With the panic of the beast's actions gone, she became aware of the ringing in her ears; the blast had temporarily deafened her, and turning to the others revealed they were suffering the same predicament, with Gracia pressing the heels of her palms against her ears in an effort to provoke them into hearing again. Oichi drew her staff off her back and let a couple drops fall onto each of her own ears; the ringing cleared up in short order, and she quickly offered the same to the others.

"Anyone have any idea what just happened?" Okuni asked once everyone was sure their ears were working.

"The beast... flew off somewhere," Ranmaru observed. "But that propulsion was..."

"Terrifying," Gracia muttered. "I wouldn't want to be in that thing's flight path." She turned to Oichi; "Was that thing...?"

"No," Oichi insisted. "I don't think it was like the Pheromosa. It wasn't fleeing with intent to come back, it was more like... an automatic response to being overpowered. It knew it was losing and took off by instinct."

Gracia hummed. "So it's not going to come back?"

Oichi shook her head. "It's not."

Okuni glanced around the crater. "I'd hate to see a beast like that try to fly in a place it wasn't meant for," she admitted.

The Cosmog gave a worried cry.

"Celesteela..." Ranmaru crossed his arms. "A fitting name if I've ever heard one. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing could peak the Tower of Infinity before we had much time to enter its lift."

+x+x+x+

The valleys all hosted farm rows, and at first the group intended to explore the area before they started gathering; alas their minds were changed in frighteningly short order. Following the three-way intersection around the first beast's crater led to _two more_ Celesteela - these ones with their lower bodies buried in the earth, but no one wanted to see what it took to wake them up - and a dead-end to the valley down the path where they'd come out of the gate.

"Can we go to _one place_ that's **not** a terrifying maze?" Gracia complained.

"It's not a maze," Oichi observed. "I think it's... a pattern. This place seems like its laid out like Combee." She scratched a few lines in the dirt with her staff. "It just propagates in this fashion."

"Yes, but..." Okuni folded her parasol and prodded the intersections. "That would mean there's one of those Celesteela at _every corner_."

"That's still a lot safer than a building full of Xurkitree," Gracia argued.

Ranmaru glanced skyward; there had been no sun moving along the skies, but things seemed to be getting darker all the same. "If so," he mused, "that means we're safe if we make camp well away from the beast's locations."

"Maybe we should pitch the tents in the crater?" Okuni suggested.

"Lightning is more than capable of striking twice," Ranmaru reprimanded.

Oichi nodded. "Besides, it's too uneven. I know I'd never get to sleep in there."

"Fair," Okuni conceded.

+x+x+x+

They spent the last bit of daylight they had gathering the produce; herbs and vegetables combined with berries made a better meal than anyone had anticipated once camp was finally made. Oichi offered to take the first watch with Null, and Okuni and Ranmaru retreated into their tents; Gracia, however, lingered for a bit.

"You want the watch instead?" Oichi asked.

"No," Gracia insisted. "I just..." She glanced at Null. "I wanted to ask you something."

"About Null?" Oichi echoed.

"Kind of," Gracia admitted. She reached over to one of the supply bags; hanging off the bottom was the rectangular box where she'd stored the discs that Null had been in stasis with, and she detached it and brought it into the light of the fire. "It's about _Full_."

Oichi hummed curiously. "What _about_ Full?"

"I just... do you really think we'll find something about it?" Gracia asked. "I mean, we know that Null was made by people somewhere - but it had to be somewhere in our world, right? Maybe one of those Trainer regions that Lord Nobunaga went off to? And if Full has something to do with Null, how do we know we're gonna find out anything about it in the beast's worlds?"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Oichi asked. "You're the one who suggested we bring them along in case we learned something about Full."

Gracia looked awkward. "I dunno... Maybe I'm just tired. We've been out of Ransei, for... what four months, now?" Then, seeing Oichi's concern; "Not that we're not getting anything done," she insisted. "We found Okuni, we're probably gonna find the rest of everybody before too long. But the..."

"The what?" Oichi asked.

"No, never mind."

"Gracia..."

The Nixtormer took a deep breath. "I keep thinking about when Ranmaru tried to Link with that one Poipole, and... the way these beasts are so different from the Pokémon of Ransei, I feel kind of dumb for expecting them to have anything to do with Full."

Oichi shook her head. "You shouldn't," she insisted. "I think you might have been on to something."

"Wait, what?"

"You know how Null reacts when we start fighting beasts?" Oichi asked. "I feel like there's some kind of relation between them and him. An artificial Pokémon opens a whole kingdom of possibilities."

A smile rose on Gracia's face. "Alright, then. Good night, Lady Oichi."

"Good night, Gracia."

She retreated into her tent, and Oichi turned towards Null, who seemed to be looking away. After a moment, Oichi got to her feet, stepping towards him, and she ran her hand over the inscription on his mask.

_Type: Null Berserk Inhibition Helmet_

"You could answer these questions yourself, couldn't you?" she mused. "But whatever this has done to you... it's holding back our Link. Are you sure you don't want me to..."

Her hand started to drift down the mask's length - and Null shook his head, pushing her hand away before giving a low cry.

"...Alright," Oichi insisted. "I don't know why you choose to be miserable... but I'll respect it." She set her forehead against his. "And I hope that, when the suffering stops... you'll look fondly on these days all the same."

* * *

Draco: Some people don't understand the reason for versioned games, and they buy both versions of each pair of Pokémon games. I **do** understand the reason for versioned games... and for the past four Generations, I've bought both versions of each pair anyways. Versioned games are meant to encourage sociability - battles and trades and Generation-exclusive minigames with people around you. And I understand that, I reap those benefits as best I can. The problem is, I enjoy my games over and over again, I clear my data and I start fresh. But I build my Pokémon teams based on emotion, I keep my Pokémon close to me, and I **refuse** to stop doing so; as such, I have one version where I build my personal team, and the other version I play over and over again.

"But Draco, they introduced Pokémon Bank in Generation VI; your personal team isn't going anywhere. And it was compatible with Generation VII, so you have no excuse."

{awkward} No, but I abandoned this fandom at the dawn of Generation VII and took it back when Let's Go came out. When I did, I went to get the Moon versions an hour before the latest-open game store closed and they only had Sun versions still in stock. So I got Sun and Ultra Sun, went home... said screw it, went back in on the morn, and searched game sellers for Moon and Ultra Moon. #DidntThinkThisThrough

Anyways, here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Celesteela  
-Range: 2  
-Move: Flash Cannon  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Confidence


	18. Rich Earth: Celestial Mysteries

Draco: Starting this chapter on the dawn of the New Year. I think a couple days' break is fine, I'm gonna get back to Galar. I want to see what this post-game episode has in store, it might be interesting.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Rich Earth: Celestial Mysteries**

"So, remind me again why we keep walking instead of just sticking around where we started?"

It was a week since the Ranseans had arrived in the Celesteela's valleys, and progressing through had been a simple enough process so far. Most of the time, the half-buried Celesteela didn't react just because they were getting close, and they could safely (if warily) maneuver around them. The few times a beast _did_ end up fighting them, it had un-buried itself before the Warriors had approached - and as soon as it stopped attacking, everyone knew well enough from the first time to retreat as far as possible before it departed.

Not that they could run far enough to stop anyone's ears from ringing, but the effects didn't last as long as they had the first time.

At Okuni's question, Oichi shook her head. "We're not just trying to avoid the beasts," she reprimanded, "we're trying to find the others. Walking around betters our chances of finding anyone who might be here." She shook her head. "Besides, we need to resupply. If we stuck around where we started, we'd be more limited in what we can gather."

"These branches are at least twice as long as the battlefield in Dragnor Castle," Okuni argued, "we're not going to _run out_ of stuff in there just collecting for one month."

"And while we _are_ prioritizing volume over variety," Ranmaru countered, "will you object to having variety if we should come across it?"

"...Point."

They were coming up on one of the intersections at this point; there was a crater here, indicating the Celesteela had already unburied itself, and Oichi glanced down the paths, uncertain. "Did anyone hear it...?"

"Not that I could tell," Gracia admitted. "Oh no, don't tell me it's..."

"No," Ranmaru mused, "I don't believe it would have started patrolling. The beasts don't seem particularly prone to farming."

After a moment, Oichi glanced skyward. "Did it maybe... fly off without being defeated?"

"I guess that's not impossible," Okuni observed, "but it raises a lot of questions."

Oichi hummed. "Then their flight isn't a reaction to being defeated, it's just... something they were already going to do before we fought them."

"Does that mean we're _not_ defeating them?" Gracia asked.

"No," Oichi insisted, "we are. The way they fall to the ground, they are being knocked out. But it's not stopping their flight."

Okuni twirled her parasol. "But we don't _have_ to fight them, then," she mused.

"The beasts make the first move," Ranmaru observed. "Perhaps we don't have to fight them, but they choose to fight us."

+x+x+x+

When they made camp that night, everyone kept their eyes on the skies while they ate. Sure enough, a glow started to ascend as they watched - a Celesteela departing in the distance.

"Guess your theory is sound," Okuni told Oichi.

Gracia set her meal down. "Where are they _going_?"

"They seem to be flying straight up," Ranmaru observed. "It's hard to believe they're deliberately going _anywhere_. It's like they're simply soaring as high as... huh?"

A glow was starting to _descend_ in the distance; it seemed to be a Celesteela _returning_. After a moment, the glow intensified; it was descending blast-end first, and the flames searing from beneath it started to slow its fall as it returned.

"They come back," Gracia murmured. "After they take off."

Okuni swallowed heavily. "Now I'm _really_ glad you guys said 'no' to camping in the craters."

After a moment, it became clear that someone wasn't contributing to the conversation; everyone turned to Oichi and found her passed out next to her empty platter. Null seemed surprised to see it.

"Lady Oichi?" Gracia called quietly. No response.

Ranmaru sighed, getting to his feet. "She's insisted on taking the first watch since we left Ransei," he mused. "Not that we've always been making six shifts on watch, but we should have been alternating properly which of us take two in the event we have the chance." Carefully, he picked her up and delivered her to her tent, setting her to bed.

"Can't get too upset with her for that," Okuni admitted as he stepped back out. "She's the one with the Link with Null, the way he reacts to beast would wake her up even if she could sleep through his roars."

Gracia nodded. "No kidding. First night in the Poipole's bog, him roaring at one of them woke me up." She stepped up to the artificial Pokémon, setting a hand on his helmet. "Me and Gothitelle can take the first watch, if you don't mind?"

+x+x+x+

The next day - to much concern - a descending Celesteela landed in a crater as the Ranseans were approaching it.

Everyone kept a safe distance as it landed; thankfully, it seemed to have its back to them, although their first encounter had taught them not to assume that meant it wouldn't fight them. Once the beast had touched down, the protrusions on its base seemed to grasp the earth... and the dirt around the crater seemed to _flow in_ to fill it. Before long, the Celesteela was half-buried, and a strange glow propagated in cracks outward from it, slowly pulsing.

"That raises so many questions," Oichi whispered once they had managed to pass the beast safely.

"You mean the return?" Okuni asked.

Oichi shook her head. "Not just that. It seems like it's... recovering itself while it's buried. But that means... what, it's drawing power from the earth?"

"It may well be," Ranmaru admitted. "The produce here is growing without maintenance from anyone - human or Pokémon. It seems as though the land is... innately fertile in some way."

"Which begs the question of what else is in the land," Oichi murmured.

Gracia perked up. "Oh!" Turning to Ranmaru; "Think you'll be able to find something?"

"Do shut up," Ranmaru asked.

Okuni glanced at her. "Find something?"

"His precious stone collecting," Gracia replied.

"That's the first I've heard of this," Okuni observed.

Ranmaru shook his head. "They're not _precious_ stones," he corrected, "they're just stones that happen to look nice."

"Collecting jewels for a lady?" Okuni teased.

"Oh, he's not so discriminatory as all that," Oichi argued. There was a smile on her face as she elaborated, "He found one for me and Brother each."

"Did he now," Okuni mused.

Gracia giggled. "Did you ever keep one for yourself?"

"Come to think of it," Oichi mused, "I don't think he ever has."

"Oh, come on," Gracia reprimanded, "you can't just give them out to everyone else if you don't have one of your own."

Oichi hummed. "That's a good point, actually. Why would you treat us, and not-"

"Do shut up!" Ranmaru objected; their march came to a halt as everyone stepped back from his sudden outburst, and he turned to Oichi. "Lovely stones alone serve no purpose. The gems I gave you and Lord Nobunaga have **uses** \- however _oblique_ they might be, or how _little_ they mean after recent developments. I do not intend to take a jewel with no cause behind it."

"...Okay," Oichi conceded. "Fair enough."

Ranmaru raised his hands in apology. "I'm sorry," he insisted. "But it's true. What use have I for any stone, beyond those with practical purposes?" He raised his arm to show the com-crystal bracelet he was wearing as an example.

"It's called jewelry," Gracia argued. "It looks pretty. You could at least wear a necklace or something."

"Yes, because I need _more_ causes for strangers to mistake me as female," Ranmaru retorted.

+x+x+x+

"Speak of Antimatter..." Okuni mused.

"And the Distortion World will open," Gracia finished.

Ranmaru shook his head. "I am _not_ taking that."

The day after their conversation about stones, they came across the crater of an absent beast - and within was lying a shimmering jewel. A few flakes of dull grey rock seemed to be the remains of an outer layer that had been blasted off when the Celesteela rooted here had departed; the body of the stone was a bright orange that seemed to glisten in the light, and deep within was an odd twisting shape, blue surrounding a red center. The shape within was about the size of a marble; the stone itself was about the half the size of a Pokémon Egg, with similar proportions.

Okuni rounded on him at the protest. "Oh, come on! There's nothing wrong with it! It's like the Alpha handed it to you on a platter!"

Gracia stepped into the crater as Ranmaru sighed. "Not only is it needless," he insisted, "it's detrimental. We're on a journey, and we have no idea how much longer we'll be away from Ransei. Added weight would only-"

"Um, what weight?"

Everyone started as Gracia picked up the stone - one-handed, and without even showing much struggle at that. She tossed it up lightly and caught it again. "It's barely as heavy as a baseball," she retorted. "You could use throw this past a Growlithe for a game of fetch."

She tossed it at Ranmaru, who caught it narrowly. "It's still- Mulch, you're right," he interrupted himself, glancing down at the stone. "Jewels of this size are never this light."

Oichi plucked it from his grip. "Yeah," she admitted, "that's lighter than I thought it would be." Her gaze narrowed. "But the size, though... if we put it in our packs, we'd be sacrificing room for rations."

"Yes," Ranmaru agreed. "Thank you, Lady Oichi."

"Except..." Okuni pulled at one of the side pockets of Ranmaru's bag. "All our rations are in the main pouches of the packs. These ones don't really keep things protected from the environment. That should fit in there, shouldn't it?"

Ranmaru glared at her as Oichi held the stone next to the one on his other side. "Maybe," she admitted. "It might strain the seams a little bit."

"I'm not taking it," Ranmaru insisted. "There's no cause for me to-"

Lucario gave an inquisitive growl.

"Oh, come on!"

Gothitelle and Volcarona were laughing as Gracia stepped up. "Hey, it goes with your pattern," she mused, taking the stone from Oichi. "You found it, and you're giving it to someone else. Not your fault if it's your Pokémon who liked it and wanted it."

She handed the stone to Lucario, who held it curiously up to the light as Ranmaru turned to him. "What's this about all of a sudden?" he asked.

Oichi's eyes seemed to flicker purple briefly as she shook her head. "Maybe he just has a better appreciation for pretty things than you do," she mused.

"Lady Oichi..."

"But... maybe there's something else," she admitted. "When he took it, I... thought I felt something."

Ranmaru blinked. "Oh?" He turned to Lucario. "Then this one _does_ have some sort of purpose."

"Could be," Oichi admitted. Then, glancing up; "We're sticking around too long. Let's get away from this crater before a Celesteela comes down."

They started down one of the valleys; Gracia came up to Oichi once they were well away. "You're not gonna get him to wear jewelry if you help him rationalize like that."

"Oh, hush," Oichi reprimanded - but there was a smile on her face even so.

* * *

Draco: **NEW EDIT:** So, I've just had a few of the most horrible experiences I've ever had as a member of the Pokémon fandom.

Late October, early November before I started this fic, I indulged myself in a significant number of purchases in regards to Generation III. Specifically, Orre. I got Colosseum and XD, a GameCube because I misunderstood the necessities for connectivity, a GameBoy Advance SP and a GBA-GCN Link Cable once I discovered my misunderstanding, LeafGreen because I wanted to check out the Sevii Islands, and Emerald because it turns out communications for Orre-Hoenn are a lot easier than communications for Orre-Kanto.

Discovery 1: I'm too clever for my own good, thinking that I can stretch out battles in Orre so Timer Balls are useful and then level grinding my starters because that's more practical in the early generations than raising a whole team.

Discovery 2: LeafGreen suffers from a horrendous amount of #EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in which getting several useful held items requires you to have registered far too many species of Pokémon.

Discovery 3: The majority of the Sevii Islands' exploration is limited to having acquired the National Pokédex, which requires you to register more species of Pokémon than for **all** of the held items.

Discovery 4: I got my copy of Emerald from eBay (all the #GenreSavvy frickers among my readers are going "Oh, you screwed yourself over with that one"), and the seller apparently did some modifications to the cartridge that is setting off all of the anti-piracy flags. I can't communicate with Orre, and I can't migrate to Sinnoh. If I want to get anyone from Orre up to Generation IV, I need to unlock Orre-Kanto communication.

There goes all of my fondness for Generation III.


	19. Carnival of Frights: Cruel Prankster

Draco: I've been averaging about 2500 words per chapter in this story. Legend of Ransei had an average of about 4200 words per chapter. This story isn't going to be SHORT, but I suspect it's going to be a fair bit short**er** than Legend of Ransei was, by word count if not by chapter count.

I've got nothing against vegetarianism, but I myself am not vegetarian. If your motives for being vegetarian are rooted in animal empathy, I would like to strongly suggest you skip the tail end of this chapter. That also goes if you struggle with understanding the idea of meat in the Pokémon world. I've been glossing over meals in all of my Ransei works so far to avoid my dietary bias keeping my readers from imagining whatever meal they like, but with the circumstances of this one I can't afford such a thing.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Carnival of Frights: Cruel Prankster**

"Good morn- What are you doing?"

Oichi smirked, raising her gaze to the dumbfounded Ranmaru, who had just stepped out of his tent. "Good morning to you too." Her com-crystal bag was sitting open at her side, and Lucario was kneeling at her side; she was currently working something that involved binding his stone in leather.

"Where did you get all that?" Ranmaru asked her. "I thought you'd just brought the prepared crystals."

"I was going to, at first," Oichi admitted. "But eventually I decided I should bring the raw materials, too - in case we had a succession of poor encounters and lost everything."

Ranmaru's gaze fell. "Excessive caution is better than a lack thereof," he observed. "And this is...?"

"Just trying to lessen the strain on the pockets of his pack," Oichi explained. She lifted the bundle up to give it a good look before handing it to Lucario. "Here, that should work. Try that."

Okuni and Gracia came out while Lucario was putting it on; there was a gap for his chest spike, and the stone rested in a pocket of sorts on his back. He made sure his aura sensors weren't trapped under the neck loop and grabbed his pack to see whether the stone's placement would cause any excessive discomfort; after a moment of standing fully-equipped, he gave an approving growl.

"Not bad," Ramnaru praised.

"Changing your mind about pretty stones?" Okuni asked.

Gracia giggled as Ranmaru glared at her. "The Cosmog say they're good to open another gate," she informed the group. "Should we get out of Celesteela Valley?"

"Haha, funny." Oichi packed her remaining materials into her com-crystal bag. "Let's get the tents down."

+x+x+x+

"I take it back. Give me a maze any day."

Oichi wasn't a hundred percent sure she could blame Gracia for the comment; the otherworld on the other side of the gate seemed to have a perpetual sunset at the perfect hour to make things threatening. Worsening the impression was the fact that their environs were an ominous-looking array of _tents_ \- all in dark colours, with narrow stripes at different angles per tent.

Okuni glanced around. "Is this... a circus?" There was a thick layer of disgust on her voice.

"What sort of beast would reside in a circus?" Ranmaru wondered.

Gracia gasped. "Wait, that one that attacked Nixtorm," she recalled. "Colourful body, weird movements - it would fit right in here!"

The Cosmog exchanged glances and gave confused shimmers.

"Yes, what was this?" Okuni asked.

"Didn't we tell you?" Oichi wondered. "Beasts were attacking various places in Ransei while everyone was going missing. They were never there for long; just terrorized people and vanished. One of them hit Nixtorm."

Okuni shook her head. "No, you didn't tell me, you just said that people had gone missing."

"Apologies," Ranmaru pleaded. "But Gracia is right - the attacker from Nixtorm would indeed not look out-of-place in this area."

Type: Null gave a cry of protest.

"Don't act like that," Oichi reprimanded, turning to him. "You and Wigglytuff weren't doing anything to that beast when we did fight it. It had to be a Ghost-type." She glanced at Lucario. "Dammit, that makes half of us who can't help if we run into that thing."

"Ghost _and_ Fire," Ranmaru reminded her. "That thing was throwing flames. Lucario and I would be _worse_ than useless."

Volcarona gave a worried cry, and Okuni twirled her parasol. "That puts us at a disadvantage, too," she murmured.

Gracia shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Maybe we shouldn't have come here," she admitted.

"We can't control where we end up," Oichi reminded her. She shook her head. "We'll just have to lay low, and hope we don't run into any beasts before we can leave this place."

+x+x+x+

When you don't want to find something, every shape in the darkness or sound you can't pinpoint might be the very thing you're trying to avoid. The Ranseans, realizing the terror of facing an opponent only one of them would be able to put up a proper fight against, found themselves advancing very warily through the array of tents. Everyone hoped to find somewhere isolated enough for them to take cover and bunker down until the Cosmog had rested up; yet Gracia and Gothitelle, at the lead for their best offensive chance, were jumping at every shadow for fear it was going to blindside them with a Fire Blast.

No one could blame them.

By some miracle, they'd yet to encounter any beasts before they found a tent with an opening they could find; Gracia glanced inside and was relieved to find it looked empty. It seemed like some performer's tent, with towering platforms extending from near to far, with a narrow wire linking center to center. She warily led the group in. "Okay," she murmured, "does this place look like a good idea?"

Oichi glanced around the area; there were what looked like audience bleachers right up against the edge of the tent. "Plenty of room to react," she noted, "but not a lot of cover."

Ranmaru gave it a thorough look, and was distressed to find two more openings, 120 degrees apart, between the bleachers. "Three entries," he observed. "Too vulnerable."

"I suppose we couldn't exactly make camp up on those platforms," Okuni observed, her gaze skyward. "If you turned in your sleep, you'd end up falling straight - Oh, _Mulch!_"

Something had stepped onto the wire from the platform closer, whose occupant they hadn't been able to see. Oichi's heart sank when she realized it was indeed the beast from Nixtorm - striped body in yellow and pink, with white spheres on its torso and a frill atop its shoulders. It stepped onto the wire with perfect balance, seeing to dance upon it and causing a dotted white sphere with pink starbursts upon it to roll along the frill.

Gracia whimpered. "I hate being right."

"Do we run?" Ranmaru asked.

Okuni shook her head. "We'd risk running into who knows how many _more_," she admitted.

"Dammit..." Oichi started when she saw the sphere almost roll off the beast's frill - one starburst was facing down towards them, and its footsteps came to a halt. "It knows we're here!"

The beast screeched down at them before twisting on the wire and leaping down; it landed in the center of the tent, and its head landed upon it as the Ranseans panicked. "Split up!" Ranmaru yelled. "Don't stay in its attack radius!"

Gothitelle swung her hand down for a pulse, and Null charged right at the beast to keep its aggression as Lucario, Volcarona, and all the Warriors dashed apart. The beast turned its hands towards Null, and he skidded sideways to put his broadside in the attack's path as the Fire Blast flew forward, slammed into him, and _seared_ around them. Null charged in again, attacking it with a Crush Claw irregardless of its ineffectiveness before charging around on Volcarona's side of the beast; the creature followed him with its gaze until Gothitelle's attack bombarded him from all directions.

The beast whirled around at the attack - and its froze in mid-motion when its forward was locked onto Lucario. The Aura Pokémon growled, leaping towards one platform's supporting pole, and Null landed another undamaging hit to try and keep its attention on him as Gothitelle readied another Future Sight. The beast turned to Null, and another Fire Blast swamped him as Lucario started to climb; halfway up did he realize that the ladder was barely intact, and a rung broke when he grasped it, sending him falling back to earth.

He landed upon Gothitelle with a painful _thud_, and panic wrought both their faces as they tried to untangle from each other; the beast turned its hands towards them, ignoring Null's ineffective blows as fire began to whirl before it.

Something dashed into the tent past the two Pokémon - a figure in black and maroon.

Oichi double-took when she realized a _Krookodile_ was charging at the beast; his jaws Crunched onto the beast's hands before the Fire Blast could fly - but not before the attack was there, leaving flames searing out the sides of his maw like a Charizard flying at speed. The beast screeched as it pulled its hands away... and the Krookodile didn't try to fight it, pulling its maw away and roaring in pain.

Gothitelle's Future Sight struck again while the two were reacting, and the attack distracted the beast long enough for a red-black-and-white figure to charge in from another entrance; the beast failed to realize the Bisharp was there before he twisted around arms crossed and then drove a Night Slash into its back. The beast tumbled aside, and the Bisharp and Krookodile exchanged glances and nodded before turning back to face it.

The beast screeched, making to charge them - and from the third opening in the tent entered a yellowish-green figure that promptly stood in their way. The beast skidded to a stop as the Haxorus halted before it; then the dragon _roared_, and mist surged around his claws, tail, and the blades aside his maw as he lunged forward, bombarding it with ferocious blows.

On the third blow, the beast was thrown to the ground... and its head rolled away, coming to a stop near Gracia's foothold. She panicked, making to scramble away - and at the same instant, someone else dashed in.

"Masanori's Kanabo attack!"

Welcome surprise rose on everyone's expressions as Masanori dashed up to the fallen head, sunglasses lifted and kanabo raised. He slammed the spiked weapon into the head with form that would make professional golfers jealous; the sphere flew up towards the tightrope above, and he dropped his glasses back down to cover his eyes again as it made contact therewith and _exploded_.

Oichi dashed down the bleachers as he chuckled, lifting his glasses again and approaching the Pokémon in the center of the area. "Masanori!" Then two more individuals stepped into the tent, carrying a metal folding fan and a scythe-esque spear; "Mitsunari! Kiyomasa!"

Kiyomasa raised his hand in greeting. "Lady Oichi! And company. What brings Warlords like you to a carnival like this?"

"_The shittiest luck ever!_" Gracia screeched.

Ranmaru decked her in the back of the head. "Language and volume, please," he reprimanded.

Mitsunari shook his head, regarding Null - who was regarding their Pokémon, who were each wary of him. "Where'd you get this one?" he asked Oichi. "And why'd you bring him into a fight with these things?"

"He's all I got, thanks," Oichi retorted - but there was a smile on her face.

"Normal, Fighting, Steel, Fire, Bug..." Kiyomasa shook his head. "Could've had a better party against a Fire/Ghost-type," he observed.

"We know," Okuni sighed. "Your timing is awesome."

Masanori propped his kanabo over his shoulder with a grin. "Well, yeah!" he agreed. "Saw you guys in trouble and charged in right in the nick of time! What's that make us, Kiyomasa?"

"Big damn heroes, Masanori."

"Ain't we just!"

"You need escorts _again_?" Mitsunari demanded, turning to Oichi. "After you two and Nobunaga united Ransei for the hell of it and barely recruited anyone in the process, I wasn't expecting to have to babysit you."

Oichi shook her head with a relieved sigh. "I have never been this happy to hear you be a condescending little bag of Mulch."

+x+x+x+

"Evia's _missing?!_"

The trio had made a hideout of sorts in a tent not far from where they'd come to the rescue, where they'd been happy to lead the others. On hearing the story, Masanori's outburst had Okuni scoffing. "Said the pot to the kettle," she mused. "Me and you three vanished off the face of Ransei, too. And so did Kotarō."

"Kotarō is an asshat that barely deserves to have a kingdom," Kiyomasa countered. "You're the junior Warlord to the sadist from Spectra, and we've got a reputation as troublemakers." His gaze fell. "But Evia is..."

"I know," Ranmaru agreed. "When I sent word out to each kingdom, informing them of Lady Evia's disappearance, anyone who wasn't aware someone _else_ had gone missing was no less worried than we were. And some who were."

Mitsunari sighed. "So you've been running around otherworlds, thanks to these two?" He beckoned to the Cosmog, who gave indignant cries as he shook his head. "And without control over your destination, you're stuck fighting... beasts we've never heard of."

"Well, the Cosmog know about them," Gracia admitted. "They've been able to put a name to every one we've met. Poipole, Stakataka, Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Celesteela..."

One Cosmog gave a shimmer.

"Blasphe_what?_" Oichi demanded.

The other shook his head and corrected her.

"Bla_cephalon_," Masanori sighed. "Okay. We're not gonna talk about what that sounded like for a second."

A chorus of "Agreed" filled the tent.

Oichi elected to change the subject. "So," she mused, "you guys have been in this place since you disappeared from Ransei, right? What have you guys found to eat? We could always add it to the rations."

Mitsunari looked awkward. "Well... No one here is vegetarian, right?"

Okuni blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Some of these tents look like supplies storage," Kiyoamasa admitted. "One of them had food, in the form of meat. A huge vault of jerky that could fill six feast tables three meals a day for a week, if everyone who ate at the tables ate like Drapion."

Ranmaru crossed his arms. "We've found berries and vegetables in other places so far," he observed, "so meat would add variety. But that does beg the question of what the meat has come from."

"...Not thinking about it," Gracia insisted.

"That seems a bit-"

"_Not. Thinking. About it._"

* * *

Draco: When you're changing tabs and accidentally close an entire window without meaning to. #OhCrap #RapidFireNo #AtomicFBomb | Thank Alpha I'd only written, like, once sentence since I last saved.

I'd like to offer a disclaimer - the bombastic, hammy, and entirely unnecessary yell of "Masanori's Kanabo attack" has absolutely no basis (of which I am aware) in historical fact or Koei Tecmo games. Masanori just strikes me as the kind of person who would be #CallingYourAttacks despite not giving the attack in question a proper name.

Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast. Didn't include it earlier because that wasn't really a fight in Nixtorm.

Blacephalon  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Fire Blast  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Explode


	20. Carnival of Frights: Infernal Separation

Draco: So, in what I've experienced so far as of the games' launch, I don't have any real complaints about Galar. A little bit miffed that Mega Evolution is no longer a thing, but I have to admire their choice to prioritize story over gameplay; Key Stones aren't commonplace, and everyone with a Key Stone in Kalos and Hoenn got one from either Gurkinn, Steven, or the Draconids, all of whom have good reasons to have such things. Same with Z-Power; it was useful enough, sure, but that is an exclusively Alolan thing and they never even pretended for it to be something else, so I'm impressed it didn't return.

**NEW EDIT:** That being said, if they decided to include Mega Evolution or Z-Power somewhere in the Isle of Armour or Crown Tundra, I'm not gonna say no.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Carnival of Frights: Infernal Separation**

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea!"

With Bisharp, Haxorus, and Krookodile offering an advantageous offensive, the wayward Ranseans weren't nearly so terrified of Blacephalon. Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori had been fighting the beasts in this hellish circus long enough to know how they fought - and how to deal with them - which meant Oichi was more than happy to defer to their tactical wisdom. Convincing Null to stand back had been an exercise in futility, but Lucario was more than happy to stay out of range as the beasts were dealt with.

That being said, the trio's experience with fighting Blacephalon had largely been in open areas _outside_ the tents - which eventually led to trouble on an occasion where the fight _wasn't_. Three and a half weeks after Oichi and the others had arrived, the group got into a fight with three beasts in a tent that looked like the biggest performance the circus could offer, with a lot of stages, platforms, and obstacles.

Most of which turned out to be _flammable_.

Not all of the Blacephalon had their heads explode when they were bested, but Masanori had gotten into the habit of striking them as far away from the combatants as possible, just in case they did. That led to trouble in this particular tent - the explosion of the last beast's head had lit the tent on fire, and everyone started to run away as best they could, not particularly caring which exit they took so long as they didn't get buried under the flaming rubble.

By the time Ranmaru was the last one out, the tent itself was ablaze - and the trapeze platforms had collapsed _outward_, threatening to ignite other tents as well.

"Damn it all," he muttered. He and Lucario had ended up with Okuni, Volcarona, Kiyomasa, Haxorus, and - to Ranmaru's surprise - the Cosmog; Oichi, Null, Gracia, Gothitelle, Mitsunari, Bisharp, Masanori, and Krookodile were nowhere to be found, and the Dragnoran quickly raised his com-crystal bracelet before him. "Call in."

_"Here!" _Gracia confirmed. _"I got Lady Oichi, Masanori, and Mitsunari with me. Where's the Cosmog?"_

"They're here," Okuni assured her. "Kiyomasa and Ranmaru are with me, as well."

_"You know, I was starting to think it was pointless to bring com-crystals if we were all gonna travel together,"_ Oichi admitted. _"I love being wrong."_

Ranmaru glanced at the fallen platforms; there were indeed slowly-expanding flames that indicated the nearest tents in those directions had become alight as well, and the Dragnoran only hoped that they would stop there rather than leading to a chain-reaction that would sent the entire otherworld on fire. "Are the beasts inclined to avoid flames raging so openly as this?" he asked into the line.

_"Not happening,"_ Masanori warned. _"These guys are stupid enough to insist that the show must go on. We burned down a head-juggling act once and the beasts kept juggling until they noticed we were there."_

Kiyomasa saw Ranmaru glance at him. "That was Masanori's idea," he insisted, bracelet away from his mouth.

_"Let's try to regroup before the flames spread too far,"_ Oichi insisted. _"Head towards the hideout, and let's hope we can meet up on the way."_

_"And try not to fight beasts,"_ Mitsunari added. _"We're at a lot more of a disadvantage spread-out like this."_

+x+x+x+

Unfortunately, trying to find your bearings in an array of tents was difficult at the best of times; when your destination is on the other side of an inferno, it's a lot harder to figure out where to do - as Oichi and Gracia discovered quickly.

"You guys were here for half a year," Gracia observed, "I thought you'd know this place like the back of your hands by now."

"Yeah," Mitsunari muttered, "well, if it was a proper maze, we would. But tents aren't logical like that."

Gracia gave a short giggle. "We went through three mazes already," she admitted. "I know what you mean."

Masanori seized his kanabo in both hands as he stretched his arms over his head. "I _don't_ know what you mean," he argued. "A maze is harder to break down if you get tired of it."

"You mean you've just been ripping through tents instead of trying to find your way?" Oichi asked. "Not very clever."

Mitsunari shook his head. "Being clever's my job. He's the one who makes the first move without thinking it through."

"Hey, shut up," Masanori retorted, making to smack him and finding his blow colliding with Mitsunari's iron-plated fan. "Being clever doesn't mean much if you never make a move at all."

"I wait for my opponents to make a move and capitalize on their mistakes," Mitsunari countered. "Which means I'd curb-stomp you if we ended up on opposing teams."

"Keep telling yourself that, smart guy," Masanori fired back. "I could get lucky and crush you into the ground with the first hit, nothing for you to capital on."

Oichi and Gracia watched their argument with amused smiles. "It's like adding weight to a scale and watching it waver," the healer mused.

"Yeah," Gracia agreed. "Going back and forth, and you're hoping it balances out sooner or later."

"They're missing a point of balance, though," Oichi observed. "Kiyomasa's usually around to mediate."

Gracia hummed. "I dunno. They're good friends and all, I don't think they'd be able to-"

A screech from nearby silenced both conversations, and they turned to find a Blacephalon standing there. "Oh, Mulch," Oichi muttered.

Null roared at it.

"Don't you dare!" Mitsunari reprimanded.

The beast was whirling flames around its hands; Masanori quickly yelled, "Run for it!"

The Warriors charged away as the Blacephalon loosed its Fire Blast, the flames burning enough to reach the tent they had been standing before - and causing it to ignite. Mitsunari quickly led them around the tent before anything within could collapse; they were only barely able to start on the next path before a platform tore out of the tent, not burning yet (presumably knocked over at the base) but slamming into the ground before them. If Null's slower pace hadn't reduced their speed, they would have been right under it.

"Dammit," Oichi muttered. As they leapt over the obstruction, she raised her com-crystal bracelet before her. "What's your status?"

_"We're at the hideout,"_ Okuni insisted, _"but the flames are spreading fast."_

"You're telling me!" Mitsunari protested. "We're on our way, but there's a Blacephalon on our tail!"

A shimmer came in from somewhere near the line, and Ranmaru spoke. _"The Cosmog say they're ready to open a gate; do we risk it before you get here?"_

"We're close," Masanori insisted. "Have them go for it!

"But tell them to stay on this end!" Gracia added. "If we don't get there, I gotta keep 'em safe!"

_"They're on it!"_ Okuni proclaimed. _"Hurry!"_

A screech from ahead of them drew the entourage to a stop; another Blacephalon had emerged from a yet-unlit tent, and noticed them. Bisharp promptly charged forward and drove a Night Slash into it before it had the chance to gather its flames, and Krookodile closed the distance while it was reeling and Crunched its hands; once the group had passed, he parted his jaws and took off to follow before the beast could retaliate. The furthest reach of its Fire Blast still singed his tail, but he was well ahead of it before it started running after them.

They were getting close to the hideout, now; the troublemaker trio had prepared for a hasty departure since the travelers' arrival, having makeshifted ration packs and camping tents from the circus cloth to increase their ration stores and keep the camping comfortable. The gate's seam was shining bright, and no sooner had Oichi gotten a good look at the Cosmog circling it than they pulled back and swung their arms towards it, causing it to be thrown wide.

Gracia redoubled her pace, yelling, "Get in!" Everyone's attention was drawn to them as the Cosmog fell to the ground; she grabbed them in her arms and leapt into the gate, followed quickly by Ranmaru and Lucario. Gothitelle stopped at the tent's entrance, turning to the Blacephalon pair on their tail and readying a Future Sight as Okuni and Volcarona leapt in; once Oichi and Null were in the tent, Haxorus stood at its entrance, causing Bisharp and Krookodile to skid past his sides.

Gothitelle watched Null leap into the gate, and followed suit as the Future Sight ripped up around the Blacephalon; they stumbled to a stop as Mitsunari and Bisharp leapt in, and dragon mist draped Haxorus as he bombarded them both with Outrage. Masanori and Krookodile were through the gate as one Blacephalon started to slump over, and Kiyomasa leapt in as Oichi yelled, "Hurry!"

Haxorus turned, charging through the gate before the dragon mist had fully dissipated.

The conscious Blacephalon grabbed the unconscious one's head.

And as the last Warrior was leaping into the gate, it threw the explosive after her - and the gate flickered out in the same instant as the head went through.

+x+x+x+

Oichi's landing on the other side was less-than-stellar, with more rotational momentum than she would have liked - but it didn't hurt her much, given that she landed in _water_. Very shallow water, to be true - but water that had pooled upon soil, leaving mud beneath it to cushion her fall as she landed on her ass. She barely had time to register the faces of her friends around her before the gate flickered out - and something tumbled into her lap from where it had been.

A dotted white sphere, with purple starbursts on either side.

Everyone screamed in panic as they realized a Blacephalon head was lying there. Oichi forced it off her legs, and Mitsunari scooped it up with his metal fan; Kiyomasa bashed it past him with his scythe-spear, and Masanori slammed his kanabo downward on it, forcing it as deep into the water as it would go while still moving away from him. With a muffled sound, it blast beneath the surface - leaving waist-high waves of unpleasantly warm water to break over everyone.

Still lying down, Oichi got the worst of it - but compared to the alternatives, she didn't have anything in the way of complaints. Sputtering the water out of her mouth and nose, she got to her feet, suspecting a mud patch over the bottom of her garments but ignoring it as she tried to shake as much moisture out of her clothes as she could. "I don't want to think about how close that was," she muttered.

"That was scary!" Gracia screeched. "How did that even come through the gate?"

"I think the other one threw it in," Oichi admitted. "Didn't you mention they juggled each others' heads?"

"I didn't think they were smart enough to use that when one of them got knocked out!" Masanori yelped.

"Let's just be glad it decided to do that instead of coming through the gate itself," Mitsunari insisted.

"Yeah," Kiyomasa agreed, "these places seem like they're made for individual beasts. If they're already terrorizing Ransei, we don't need them terrorizing each other, too."

Oichi looked around, getting a good look at their new environs. "Well..."

She felt awfully as though she had been shrunk, somehow - surrounding her were giant blades of grass. The water in which she stood was a thin layer compared to the grass, but to the Warriors, it was enough to flood their ankles; combined with the mud beneath it, travelling this place was _not_ going to be a pleasant experience. Several large flowers extended in various directions as well - but many of them were _broken_ at the stems, leaving triangular arches in the nature; every plant around them seemed to have a decent layer of moisture on it, with droplets showering off the snapped blooms (droplets of normal size to the Warriors, thankfully).

"...I'm not a hundred percent sure Blacephalon would have the advantage, here."

* * *

Draco: Blacephalon heads are explosives. By having their alternate ability be Explode, I can maintain that aspect without having them use Mind Blown and self-eliminating in two attacks. Plus it makes for a nice little bit of terror.


	21. Broken Flowers: Full Power

Draco: I hope you lot enjoy this one.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Broken Flowers: Full Power**

The Warriors regarded their newfound destination; Oichi could tell from the others' expressions that she wasn't the only one who was just a little bit uncomfortable with the scale of this place. After a moment, it was clear to her there was some slight precipitation; it wasn't _rain_, quite, so much as a... descending mist.

"This place is so damp," Okuni observed. "You'd need to aim like three Fire Blasts on the same centerpoint within a second of each other to set anything alight."

Ranmaru shook his head. "Whatever sort of beasts reside in this place," he observed, "they must thrive in wet environments. Water-types, perhaps?"

"Or maybe more Bugs," Gracia murmured.

Everyone turned towards her and found her looking upwards. Atop one of the broken blooms was an insectoid figure in red and black - a _muscled_ figure, whose torso put Yoshihiro of Pugilis to shame. Its body seemed to be segmented into sacs filled with some kind of fluid; from its face extended a long needle-point mouth, from its back were a pair of orange wings, and it stood on four legs that tapered to points. By some miracle, it hadn't seemed to notice them yet, and was advancing up the flower's stem.

Then Type: Null roared at it before Oichi could stop him - and the beast turned towards the sound.

Oichi swore as her eyes swirled purple. "It's a fighter," she warned. "Like the Pheromosa - a bug and a fighter!"

The beast gave a low-pitched screech - as oxymoronic as it sounded - and leapt down from the stem, landing with a sizeable splash. It seemed to flex its muscles as Null made to charge at it; when the artificial Pokémon was near enough to swipe a Crush Claw at it, the beast moved its arm in the path of Null's claws.

Everyone yelped when the two found themselves in a deadlock. For a moment, Null's claws seemed to be closing; then the beast flexed again, and its arm _bulged_, forcing them back open before it threw the attacker off it. Then it lunged forward, shoulder-tackling Null and throwing him to the ground.

Gothitelle swung her arm down as power pulsed from it, and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere before Null could right himself, letting the projectile soar over him and throw the beast back. Volcarona leapt to the beast's side and twisted into a Fiery Dance; as Okuni had suspected, the flying embers didn't do much to the growths around them but make steam - and though they hurt the beast, to be sure, it didn't seem harmed so much as _angered,_ leaping away and then Lunging at her as well once the dance had ended.

Bisharp and Krookodile charged forward while Null was righting himself; a Night Slash lashed across one side of the beast, and then its arm was Crunched before it could charge. The latter proved to be a bad idea, however, when the beast forced Krookodile's maw wide with another flex; the Intimidation Pokémon had no chance to retreat before the beast Lunged at him as well, knocking him aside without relent. Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded it, giving Haxorus an opening to charge in and unleash an Outrage bombardment - but as soon as the dragon mist parted, he too was Lunged away.

"What the hell is this thing made of?" Gracia shrieked.

Ranmaru grit his teeth, reaching for his zanbato. "So powerful!"

The beast turned to Bisharp before he could blindside it, Lunging at him as well and knocking him into the nearest growth; then it leapt away before Volcarona could try to singe it again, leaving her Fiery Dance blazing against nothing. Null had righted himself at this point, and when Oichi tried to warn him back, he _ignored_ the instruction, charging at the beast once more. With a low screech, the beast waited for the Crush Claw to come and then raised both arms, catching Null's claws between segments. Slowly, it started to lift its arms up, forcing Null's forelegs apart; when his claws started to tighten, the beast flexed to force its claws to part.

Null roared in protest.

And a _violent light_ draped his body.

Oichi's eyes widened as she recogized the glow of evolution drape Null - save for his helmet, leaving light streaming out of the gaps for his mane, maw, and plume. The beast started to panic as his claws tightened around its forearms; his body started to expand, and cracks started to appear across the mask, from which the light poured like some brilliant font.

He lifted his claws off the beast's arms, and then brought one set down on its body - and power _surged_ in the air, trailing each point as the beast was razed.

And when the other set of claws came down, the mask _shattered_, pieces being flung aside as the beast was knocked back.

The light faded from Null - or what had been Null. The artificial Pokémon stood taller, now; his mane had brightened to a blinding white, the metal of his forelimbs had gained a threatening luster. His face was now exposed; his upper maw seemed to be metallic, extending on either side to a circular marking with a segment through it. The fill of his aquatic tail had turned the same bright white as his mane, the dark fur of his body had gained a proud sheen to it, and the metal edge at the fore of his plume had earned the same luster as his claws. The binding upon its plume had broken, letting it spread wider - and three transluscent white spikes emerged from the back of the spread, shimmering with a strange power.

"Null...?" Abruptly did Oichi realize what she was looking at. "No... _Full!_"

The beast seemed as though it had never seen evolution before, and panicked; its wings started to move as it tried to retreat. But Type: Full was having none of it - with a roar of a higher, more confident pitch, it leapt forward to raze its claws down the beast again, force trailing each edge. That was enough to finish the beast off; it was thrown back, rolling weakly in the water until it tumbled to a halt against one of the giant, snapped-stem flowers.

Okuni's jaw was open. "Holy Mulch... That's..."

Ranmaru could barely believe his eyes. "This is... Type: Full?"

After a moment, the newly-evolved Pokémon turned to Oichi - and she gasped in surprise. "You're...?"

Gracia glanced between them warily as he approached the Warrior. "Lady Oichi?"

"His mind," Oichi murmured. "It's... not buried anymore. I can feel him..." She set a hand on his face, and he closed his eyes softly. "I can hear him..."

She set her brow against the base of his plume. "This is a real Link."

+x+x+x+

Like the home of the last Fighting beasts they'd encountered, this place had no changing light to mark the passage of time. No one wanted to make camp in the middle of nowhere - but to much relief, they eventually found a tree stump (of similar scale to the grass and flowers) whose surface was above the water, if a little damp.

Berries, vegetables, herbs, roots, and jerky - everyone was glad their rations needed no fire to be suitable to eat, because lighting one in this place was not going to be a simple matter, and everyone was a bit too hungry from marching through mud to wait for their meals. Tents were pitched very near to each other; Ranmaru dished out everyone's meals, prompting most of them to retreat into their tents to get out of the mist.

Save for Oichi and Full, who remained out in the weather.

Gracia brought the two of them their meals. "You're gonna catch a cold, out in the rain like this."

"It's not really cold enough for something like that," Oichi argued.

"Better cautious than crushed," Gracia retorted. "How awful would it be to have your partner evolve and then you wake up the next morning sick as a Muk?"

"True enough," Oichi admitted. Then; "Oh? Gracia look at this."

The Nixtormer stepped forward; without Oichi needing to beckon him, Full lowered his head, that Gracia could see. The circular pattern on his left side seemed to be an _opening_ of some sort. "What's this?" she murmured. "Wait, there's some kind of writing on it."

Oichi swept her hand over it; the rain made the carved writing somewhat harder to see, but she was able to make it out. "_Beast Killer RKS System,_" she read aloud.

"What?" Gracia exclaimed. "Beast Killer?"

Shocked, Oichi pulled back, causing Full to turn to her. "You were made for this," she realized. "Fighting these beasts. That's why you react to them the way you do."

Full gave a silent nod.

"Wait, RKS..." Gracia glanced towards the tents. "Wasn't that what the box said? With those discs!"

"_RKS Memory Programs for use with... Type: Full_," Oichi recalled. "Those are for you."

Gracia quickly dashed towards Oichi's tent; she found the bag full of discs quite easily (although it was caked in mud from her arrival, nothing had gotten into the bag, let alone onto the discs through their cases), and came out to find the rain had stopped. She set it aside for now and came up to Oichi, opening the bag and grabbing the first case she could get a good purchase on.

Oichi accepted it, looking over the disc itself. The case was transparent, but the disc had a red colour to it; marked on its surface were the words _RKS Fire Memory Program_. Curious, she opened the case and seized it by its rubber grip, pulling it out and holding it up to Full. "How do I... give this to you?"

Full gave a gentle cry, closing his eyes; after a moment, the segment on his left side seemed to extend out. He lowered his head so Oichi had a better view, revealing there was a small slot within it; carefully, Oichi set the disc into it, and once her fingers were free, the slot closed again.

Silence for a moment; then Null raised his head and roared. Colour rushed through his body; the spikes upon his plume, the white of his eyes, the inner surface of the protrusions, and the fill of his tail all faded from a shining white to a fiery red.

Gracia gasped in awe. "No way. Did you just... _change type?_"

Oichi's eyes flickered purple. "You did," she murmured. "You..."

"The rain has stopped." The voice from behind drew everyone's attention; Ranmaru had stumbled out of his tent. "So this place has a weather cycle, but no day and night?"

"Ranmaru," Oichi called, "look at this."

He turned towards them and was surprised by what he saw. "What happened to him?"

"It's those RKS discs," Gracia explained. "They change his type." She turned to him. "Wait, is it just you, or can you attack with...?"

With a roar of confirmation, Full raised one set of claws and brought it down - and this time _fire_ trailed the prongs.

* * *

Draco: So, I'm gonna be honest with you guys. The way Silvally's name is handled irks me for a very stupid reason. Fortunately, Ransei gives me a perfect excuse to do something about that without looking like I'm forcing my preferences on canon. In fact, if it DIDN'T irk me, I don't think I could justify using it as is canon. Type: Null's evolution is going to be referred to as Type: Full because Ranseans have no way of knowing about Silvally's existing history.

Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Buzzwole  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Lunge  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Thrust

Lunge (Bug)  
-Movement: one tile forward  
-Attack area: single tile in front of destination (i.e. Heat Crash)  
-Effect: 1-stage Attack reduction


	22. Broken Flowers: Ambushed in Relaxation

Draco: Putting Full's info on this chapter to avoid crowding the previous bottomside author's comment.

Type: Full  
-Range: 4  
-Move: Multi-Attack  
-Ability: RKS Change

Multi-Attack (Normal)  
-Range: single tile in front  
-Effect: none

RKS Change  
-The Pokémon deals increased damage and takes reduced damage from Pokémon and moves of all types

...I know that ability looks a little OP, but I'm assigning it like that because Oichi's going to be using the RKS System to the fullest (#AccidentalPun) and I'm writing the battle info to reflect that. I think I'd design it so that Multi-Attack always deals ×2 damage and Type: Full always takes ×0.5 damage, at most; guaranteeing a ×4 output on every dual-type Pokémon would be needless. Not to say that Oichi isn't going to be dealing ×4 damage on dual-type Ultra Beasts when the possibility is there. Like I said, I'm just overthinking this thing.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Broken Flowers: Ambushed in Relaxation**

"Now!"

Two weeks had passed since Type: Full's evolution - and with eighteen types to choose from, he'd been making short work of the beasts (identified as "Buzzwole" by the Cosmog) that attacked them as they searched the oversized foliage. None of the battles they'd been part of had taken very long - everyone was very confident in their ability to fend off any attackers no matter where they ended up.

The Ranseans were in the middle of a fight with two Buzzwole; at Okuni's yell, Full charged forward while the embers of Volcarona's Fiery Dance were still fading. Spared the weight of his inhibition mask, that charge was much faster than anyone was used to seeing; the Buzzwole made to defend against the oncoming blows, only for Gothitelle's Future Sight to bombard them. Full promptly leapt at the beasts while they were still reeling, bringing both sets of claws down with wind searing in their wake, striking both beasts down the torso and knocking them to the ground.

One went still as soon as its collapse ended. The other tried to rise, and then slumped back down.

"It's gonna take way too long to get used to him moving so fast," Masanori complained.

"Better than him having _been_ fast and getting used to his being slow," Mitsunari retorted.

"You guys should stop insulting the badass who's single-handedly dishing out curb-stomps," Kiyomasa reprimanded.

Full made a shrugging motion.

Gracia giggled. "It's so weird to have you contributing to a conversation," she admitted.

Oichi glanced around. "You know," she prompted, changing the subject, "with all these plants, you'd think we'd find berries somewhere."

"Lady Oichi," Okuni reprimanded, "with all these plants as a reference, an Oran Berry would be the size of any castle battlefield in Ransei."

"True enough," Oichi admitted, "but that would mean we could ration ourselves for five months on a single berry."

Ranmaru shook his head. "Berries don't keep as well when they've been pierced," he pointed out. "I don't think any of us want to indulge in a dried-out flavourless slice of oversized berry, if we can avoid it."

A chorus of "Nope" circled the group.

+x+x+x+

The weather seemed to have a pattern to it; rain mist, clear skies, rain mist, clear skies. It wasn't at anywhere the right intervals for them try and gauge day and night based on the weather, but the party made a point to try and avoid fighting Buzzwole during the precipitation, whenever possible, and the pattern made it easier for them to avoid it. The oversized tree stumps scattered around remained their campsites of choice; to everyone's surprise, one such stump - which they found about three days after the conversation about berries - was sitting at the edge of what had to be considered a puddle... compared to the plant life.

To the Ranseans, its size seemed more like the edge of a giant lake.

"So," Okuni inquired, "what do you think are the odds that the Buzzwole bathe in this one?"

Gracia looked at her. "Setting aside how huge this is," she mused, "the Buzzwole don't have anything to mess with your head like the Pheromosa did. It should be safe to drink."

"Forget drinking," Masanori retorted, "I wanna take a _swim_ in that!"

"That's not a terrible idea," Mitsunari admitted with a smirk.

Ranmaru hummed. "So long as we're careful about it," he insisted. "With the depth this thing must be, we'd have to be careful how far we swam."

"True," Kiyomasa agreed. "We haven't got any Water-types to save us if we-"

"You think so?"

Oichi's murmur drew everyone's attention; Full's spikes were white again, his RKS slot was open and empty, and the healer was fingering through the disc selection. "Lady Oichi?" Ranmaru inquired.

"Full agrees with taking a swim," she confirmed.

"Seriously?" Gracia mused. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"The way he was designed, I'm sure he'll be fine," Oichi insisted. She found the disc she was looking for and drew it out, turning to him. "But we're gonna take it slow, okay?" Full nodded, and she slipped the disc into his slot; as it closed, his spikes turned a deep blue.

Okuni hummed. "Why don't you two test the waters first," she proposed, "and make sure it's safe. We'll set up camp in the meantime."

The trio glared at her. "Spoilsport," Kiyomasa muttered.

"Sor_ry_," Okuni retorted, "but I don't want anyone to end up sick or mad because the beasts did something to this place."

Gracia shook her head as Oichi set her bags down, and she and Full made their way down from the stump. "You never did tell us what-"

"I told you it's nothing."

They slowly approached the water's edge; Full turned to Oichi, prompting her to climb onto his back. Slowly, he started into the water, the puddle offering a gradual enough incline that he was able to slowly wade deeper; as the water reached her neck, Oichi took a deep breath, and Null pushed himself into the water properly.

It was surprising how _clear_ the water was - what with the mud that lined the bottom of all the other water in this place, Oichi had expected there to be a certain degree of caution necessary in trying to drink this stuff. But no - there was a beautiful clarity to this lake-sized puddle, and Oichi found herself admiring the view as Full swam through it, feeling strangely nostalgic.

A pang of sadness struck her as she realized from whence that nostalgia had come. Full took notice of her discomfort, and swam upward; as he surfaced, Oichi took a deep breath, running a hand across her brow to keep her hair out of her face.

"No," she insisted, "it's not the water. I just..." She closed her eyes. "I had a swim like this with Evia."

Full gave a quiet cry.

"I know," Oichi insisted. "We'll find her. It just... hurts, being apart for so long."

"Lady Oichi!" Gracia's call drew their attention. "How's the water?!"

With a sigh, the healer called back; "It's fine! Nothing to- _Look out!_"

She had really hoped that the wings on Buzzwole were just for show, maybe something to keep them oriented during a long fall. No such luck; three of the beasts were flying towards the camp from behind, and Gracia turned around and swore as she realized how close they had gotten without anyone noticing.

The beasts landed in triangle formation, each given a low screech.

Gothitelle swung her hand down for a Future Sight pulse the moment the third one landed; Volcarona leapt into the middle of the formation and started a Fiery Dance, searing the lot of them before they had the chance to attack anyone. No sooner had the last embers started to fade than rain started to fall again; one Buzzwole slammed into Volcarona with a Lunge that had her reeling back, and put her into position for the other two to bash her nearly off the edge of the stump towards the water.

She fell to the ground as Haxorus took her place, positioning himself between the beasts as dragon mist burned around him; he started to bombard the beasts with an Outrage as Full started to swim back as fast as he could. Gracia quickly grabbed the case of RKS discs before they ended up in anyone's crossfire, opening it up as Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded them all. The two Buzzwole on Haxorus' flanks retreated out of the range of his Outrage - which left the beasts in an even line; Haxorus stumbled back as Bisharp charged in, striking them all with a Night Slash.

The blow wasn't very effective, but it had an impact all the same - and it kept their aggro on him. The beasts bombarded him with three synchronized, simultaneous Lunges, throwing him off the edge of the stump - at the same time as Oichi and Full were coming up to the shallows. Full managed to drag him out of the water (not easy with a plated Pokémon, but he managed), and as they started to climb, Gracia yelled, "Lady Oichi!"

She threw a disc case towards the healer, who caught it and glanced at its contents quickly. _RKS Flying Memory Program_; Full popped his disc slot, and Oichi grabbed the Water-type memory in there and slipped the Flying one in before leaping off his back. She contained the Water disc in the case as Null's spikes changed to a much brighter blue; he charged at the side of the Buzzwole formation and brought his claws down, wind trailing the strikes as he threw one Buzzwole clear off the stump, knocking it out.

The remaining two tried to Lunge at him, and though it pushed Null back, he managed to keep his footing; Krookodile charged up and Crunched the leading one at the point where its arm narrowed into a hand, stopping it from trapping his jaw before he pulled back. Lucario hit that one with an Aura Sphere, leaving it tumbling into the giant grass as the last one was left standing.

Its wings rose to try and fly off - but Haxorus charged forward and bombarded it with Outrage, clipping its wings and then battering its body before sending it reeling to join its comrades at water level.

Oichi breathed a sigh of relief; her foot shifted on the stump's surface, and a healing light washed over the battered Pokémon. Gracia handed her the bag of memory discs, and she slipped the cased disc in before closing it tightly. "That was absolutely stupid of me, splitting up like that," she muttered.

"You were trying to make sure the water was safe," Okuni retorted, "it's not like you weren't justified."

Mitsunari shook his head. "I'm not in the mood for a pool party right now."

"Yeah," Masanori agreed, "I'll pass on air-to-sea Buzzwole divebombing too."

Ranmaru glanced at the fire and realized it was still alight. "How is that still burning in this weather?" he murmured.

"It takes more than a little mist to put out a fire, Lord Ranmaru," Gracia retorted. "You ever try to put out a roaring fireplace with a Purrloin spritz-bottle? It doesn't work."

Kiyomasa set his hands on his hips. "And you know this because...?"

Okuni shook her head. "We've all done stupid things when we were younger. Sometimes we just do stupid things because we're bored. I once spent three hours rearranging the Misdreavus statues in the battlefield and ended up barricading the castle entrance because I wasn't paying attention."

"I imagine Nō wasn't super-happy about that," Oichi observed with a smile.

* * *

Draco: ...Come to think of it, are there any type combinations where it's impossible to deal supereffective damage at ×2 but supereffective damage at ×4 is possible? Not even just existing Pokémon, but any theoreticals? I'm just glancing at my type matchup chart, here, and I don't think any two types share **all** of their weaknesses.

I kept trying to write "Null" instead of "Full". Not sure if it's to do with my re-treatment of his name or because he spent 17 chapters unevolved. I remember trying to write "Eevee" during the Dragnor attack in Legend of Ransei, my money's on the latter.


	23. Bamboo Forest: The Swordsbeast

Draco: When I got Shield, I also got Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Deciding against getting any DLC for now, I shut down my internet connection to make the update notification shut up, popped the cartridge in, and started the software.

Beautiful opening movie, lovely musical theme, you only start with the original eight, there's a story mode like there was in Brawl, and Stamina mode is finally a regular Smash rule instead of a Special Smash. I am not ready for this. If I start playing that, I'm gonna drift out of a Pokémon mood, and I am on the biggest roll I've ever been on. I'm already trying to get as much done as I can before Re:Mind comes out because I **know** I'm going to drop everything to play that one.

...Come to think of it, that's why my last large-scale Pokémon fanfic failed. I had less than a year before the turn of the Generation and tried to write the whole thing in that span, got myself on a roll of a chapter or more per day, and did really well until Bravely Second came out. I played that game and my Pokémon mood went to pot.

Ugh, I'm still using Galarian slang. I hope it's just my literations (novelizations, whatever) talking. Every time I play a new game I contemplate how I would write it as a literation, just because I've written so many of the damn things.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Bamboo Forest: The Swordsbeast**

"Is it just me, or did it take you guys a little longer this time?"

Gracia's comment as she stepped out of her tent with the Cosmog was met with an accusatory shimmer. "Yeah, fair enough," she admitted, "we did kinda jump the gun on the last one. But that's because we had a bomber on our tail. You made the offer." Then, when they both glared at her; "Right, sorry, that's not really fair to accuse you like that."

"An argument first thing in the morning isn't really the most cheerful way to start your day," Oichi accused, drawing her attention.

"Lady Oichi," Gracia greeted. "The Cosmog say they're good to open the gate."

Oichi smiled. "Excellent. Let's get ready to depart, then. This place is nice enough, but the weather is kind of getting to me."

"You're not alone on that front," Ranmaru admitted, stepping out of his own tent. "Wet garments are all the heavier."

"You wanna talk about heavy clothes?" Oichi argued. "Try wearing an evening dress."

Ranmaru turned bright red.

"...Have you worn an evening dress before?" Gracia asked.

"Not of my own choice," Ranmaru admitted.

"_What?_" Oichi was laughing in short order. "When did you-?"

"One of the perils of spending any significant amount of time with Lady Nō," Ranmaru observed, "you're left to whatever whims might strike her fancy. That thing looked dreadful on me."

"That thing looked _lovely_ on you," Okuni retorted from behind; Ranmaru flinched as she stepped forward. "I still have the photos back in Spectra."

"That, I have to see," Gracia grinned.

Ranmaru turned to Okuni. "Please don't."

"There's no shame in looking beautiful, Ranmaru," Okuni reprimanded.

"I don't care how beautiful I might have looked," Ranmaru protested, "a heavy dress and makeup were-"

"_Makeup?_" Gracia exclaimed, and Ranmaru slapped his hands over his mouth. "She made you wear makeup?"

Oichi sighed. "I'm sure it was gorgeous," she admitted, "but that's a bit much, don't you think?"

Okuni shook her head. "He looked liked the finest lady ever," she insisted. "I was so jealous."

Ranmaru buried his hands in his face. "Hall of Origin, smite me now..."

+x+x+x+

With how unpleasant the weather was in the Buzzwole's oversized leafage, there were no complaints when the Ranseans arrived on the other side of the gate.

Bamboo - as far as the eye could see, and growing so tall no one could see the tops of it. There was much firmer earth beneath their feet - there was a slight slope to it, but nothing that would make camping a struggle - and with the growth around them, the light shining in was filtered to a rather soft glow.

"Wow," Kiyomasa muttered. "Imagine getting into a swordfight in this place."

"Pity the farmer," Mitsunari muttered.

"And the fighter!" Masanori argued. "If you chopped it at the wrong angle when you weren't looking, it'd clonk you on the head."

Gracia looked upward. "With how big this stuff has grown," she observed, "that'd be a pretty hard clonk. Let's nobody take their swords out, okay?"

Ranmaru glanced around. "There's not really much room to pitch tents in any sort of formation," he observed. "Let's see if we can't find a clearing, shall we?"

As the group started through the bamboo, Full lowered his head towards Oichi, his RKS slot opening; she carefully withdrew the Flying-type disc from it and drew the empty case from her bag, slipping it in. "What sort of beasts do you guys think we'll find here?" she wondered.

"No idea," Okuni admitted. "Maybe just try to expand our type coverage until we find something."

Oichi fingered through the discs until she found the Rock-type disc, opening the case and slipping it into Full's slot. As it closed, his spikes turned a pale tan colour, and he lifted his head as they continued walking.

It didn't take long before they reached something - although it wasn't a clearing as they had hoped. Rather, there was a giant stone figure standing amidst the bamboo; it almost seemed like a statue of a giant _shinai_, buried point-down in a pedestal of sorts.

"That's raises a whole bunch of questions," Gracia murmured.

"It's... not a _weapon_," Oichi observed, "it's one piece with the base."

"But why would this be here?" Ranmaru wondered. "These worlds seem to be designed to be _comfortable_ to the beasts. What sort of beast would be comfortable with a giant sword sitting in the middle of..."

"Wait," Mitsunari interrupted. "Do you hear that?"

The group fell quiet, straining their ears - and they did hear something. A sound that Oichi recognized anywhere - that of a blade cutting through the air - and she seized her buckler in a panic as she realized it was getting close. "Please be friendly, please be friendly, please be friend-"

Three lines manifested across the stone shinai before them - and then it _burst_, the shards flying in every direction.

"What the hell?!"

Floating there what a beast unlike anything that anyone had expected - its body seemed to have all the thickness of _paper_. It had an abstracted humanoid shape in bright white, with legs coming to points and arms that looked like sword blades; a pair of green protrusions emerged from its shoulders like the grips of swords worn for _daish__ō_, and a pair of strange patterns was closed around the base of each arm like a ricasso. Its arms were not joined to its sides, but to a red segment on its chest; its head had a similar red layer on its top point, and two small protrusions that might have been meant as eyebrows extended over it.

It brought one arm forward quickly, with the unmistakable sound of a blade cutting through air; then it swung it back, and gave a rattling, high-pitched cry.

"I take it back," Gracia exclaimed. "Swords out!"

Oichi drew her rapier as her eyes swirled purple. "Metal and grass," she realized. "Oh, _dammit!_"

Ranmaru made to draw his zanbato as Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at the beast; it made to cut the projectile, only to have it blast against its blade, throwing it to the ground. Volcarona leapt forward and twisted into a Fiery Dance before it could right itself, and to everyone's surprise, the beast rose up still alight, made to flee... and then collapsed, falling to the ground again.

"...Wow," Okuni murmured. "Not very durable, is it? I was expecting more of a fight."

"We got lucky," Oichi insisted, sheathing her rapier. "We had the type advantage and managed to land the first hit. If it had gotten the drop on us, we'd be in a lot more trouble." Full turned to her, and she reached for the RKS discs. "And I'm glad we did get so lucky. Next time we're keeping you unarmed until we have a look at our opponents."

She switched out the Rock-type disc for a Fire-type one, causing Masnori to yelp when Full's spikes turned red. "You sure you wanna have fire in a forest like this?"

"Bamboo doesn't burn easily," Ranmaru reprimanded. "At least not its outer layer. If it's cut open properly, the interior might light more quickly, but I wouldn't say our chances of that happening are particularly great."

"So," Kiyomasa mused, "you think this would work as a camp site?"

Everyone looked around; with the stone shinai having been carved into pieces, the pedestal on which it had stood was indeed large enough to host everyone's tents in a safe formation to light a fire between.

+x+x+x+

The light was starting to dim as they pitched their tents (although with how thick the bamboo grew, it was hard to tell if there was a sun setting or not); dinner was dished out, and Oichi elected to take the first watch of the night.

Okuni was the last one still up, stepping towards Oichi and Full. "So," she mused, "hoping for a friendly swordsman, were we?"

"Were you not?" Oichi argued.

"What exactly made you think we were gonna find any other people in these worlds?" Okuni asked.

Oichi shook her head. "Besides the fact that there's still two unaccounted for from Ransei? I've got my fair share of reasons."

Okuni had intended for this conversation to go in a very different direction - but Oichi's response had caught her by surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, first, there's Full," Oichi explained. "An artificial Pokémon, made by humans, _put into stasis_ by humans - and arriving in Ransei out of nowhere, just like the beasts. At first we were thinking he had been made in some faraway region, but... the more I think about it, the more I wonder if he'd been made in one of these otherworlds."

"Wow," Okuni murmured. "That... actually might be a good point." She turned to Full. "You got anything to say?"

Full gave a low cry.

Oichi giggled weakly. "Fair enough," she admitted. "With what we know about you so far, we can't really expect you to have seen much of the region you lived in."

Okuni shook her head. "What else?"

"I keep thinking about the Xurkitree's power plant," Oichi replied. "I know all these otherworlds are just what's comfortable for the beasts that live in them, but just how much it seemed like it belonged in Violight... if that place ended up in our world and someone came across it, they wouldn't think anything was out of place until they ran into the beasts. They'd think it was a man-made plant."

"Might be thinking that one through a little too much," Okuni observed. "Anyone who saw the Pheromosa's forest wouldn't think there was anything weird about it. Anyone who saw the Blacephalon's circus would wonder where the carnies are."

Oichi sighed. "You're right. I'm probably just overthinking it. Being on the road so long is starting to do a number on me."

"Can't blame you there," Okuni agreed. "I've had enough travelling to last me a lifetime. When I get back to Spectra, I am going to wash myself until I run out of soap and soak in the furo until I _wrinkle_."

"Nō is going to punish you for that first half," Oichi observed.

"_So_ worth it," Okuni insisted. "Lady Nō can tie me up and hang me from the ceiling by my arms and legs for all I care, as long as she waits until I'm clean first."

"I did **not** need that reminder," Oichi muttered, burying her eyes in her sleeves.

Okuni turned to her. "Reminder of what?"

"If you think ropes are exclusively for punishments and captivity," Oichi reprimanded, "you really don't understand what Brother's relationship with Nō is like."

* * *

Draco: Sorry for the curb-stomp with the Kartana, but I intended to have the Aura Sphere and Fiery Dance be the lead-up to a sizeable fight sequence before I double-checked its stats and discovered how _Mulch_ UB: Blade is for Special Defense. Like, aiya. I never weakened them before I threw the Beast Balls, it's impossible for them to fail against those things during Looker's UB hunt and I can't find a Wormhole taking me to Ultra Forest during Ultra Warp Ride. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Kartana  
-Range: 4  
-Move: Leaf Blade  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Hero


	24. Bamboo Forest: Edge on Edge

Draco: KHIII Re:Mind in January, FFVII Remake and Mulan in March. 2020 is shaping up to be a really good year before my birthday even arrives in April.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Bamboo Forest: Edge on Edge**

"So, how much of a bad idea would it be to split up here?"

Water spewed from Oichi's mouth, dousing the fire in the middle of camp. It was the morning after their first encounter with the bladed beast ('Kartana', the Cosmog had called them), and Gracia's suggestion got a reaction from everyone - though none quite so prominent as Oichi's spit-take.

"Sorry?" the Nixtormer murmured as Oichi started coughing.

"I'm not sure what would possess you to suggest that we break into groups at this point," Ranmaru observed. "None of the environs we've been through have been particularly safe to be separated in."

Gracia shook her head. "Yeah, but a bamboo grove isn't that bad. And we've got a really lucky chance here. Those Kartana are easy to take down, and we got the type advantage. Lucario's super-effective, Volcarona's _double_ super-effective, and Full can be the same way. If we break into three parties, we can cover more ground."

"Even so," Okuni admitted, "if we split up, we wouldn't be terribly likely to meet up again. How do we expect to get through the next gate when we're all in opposite corners of this place?"

"We could..." Gracia's gaze fell. "No, wait... that wouldn't work very long."

Oichi took a deep breath. "We could try it for the one day," she suggested. "Keep the com-crystals at the ready in case we run into trouble. What were you going to suggest?"

"It's all dirt, here," Gracia pointed out. "I was gonna say we could follow our footsteps back here. But it's pretty _hard_ dirt, and besides, footsteps would fade over too long."

"Well, we could try something a little firmer," Oichi supplemented. "Full?"

With a nod, Type: Full pressed his foreleg into the ground; then his claws closed on it, ripping a noticeable mark into it.

"That's not a terrible idea," Ranmaru observed. "We could carve our paths with our weapons, and follow them back here when the light wanes." He sighed. "But still..."

"One day," Oichi insisted. "We'll split up for one day, and come back by sundown. See how well we do." Then, firmly, "But if _anything_ even **starts** to go wrong, we come right back here and call for help. Okay?"

"Alright," Okuni mused. "Which parties do you suggest?"

+x+x+x+

Oichi, Gracia, Full, and Gothitelle formed one party; Okuni, Kiyomasa, Volcarona, and Haxorus formed another; Ranmaru, Mistunari, Masanori, Bisharp, Krookodile, and Lucario formed the third. With the promise to return to camp before sundown, the three groups took off at 120 degrees from each other, minimizing the chance that their paths would overlap.

Full was bringing up the rear of his group, ripping footsteps in the ground as they advanced; after a while, Gracia spoke up. "So, why did you choose to come with me?"

"You're the only one without a proper weapon," Oichi admitted. "Like, that's separate from you. If you tried to stop a bladed attack with your channel bracelets, you'd be more likely to loose a hand." She drew her buckler off her hip and handed it to the Nixtormer. "Here."

Gracia accepted it, seeming somewhat surprised by its weight. "Wow," she murmured. "With that size I was expecting something lighter."

Oichi shook her head. "It's meant to be a secondary strike-or-parry instead of just a defense like most shields," she explained. "That's why I pair it with a rapier; I can use the buckler for blunt attacks, or the sword for proper strikes."

"Was that Lady Evia's suggestion?" Gracia asked.

"Well... kind of," Oichi admitted. "_She_ started out with just a sword. But it changed the first time she underwent Warrior transformation, got a little bigger - became more of an offensive weapon than she was used to."

"Doesn't weapon mean it's _made_ for offense?" Gracia argued.

Oichi giggled. "I asked her that exact question. Some weapons are made to both attack and defend. The new one was more for offense than she wanted, so she decided to start using a shield, as well. We went through a whole variety of shields trying to find a good one; that's when she told me about how bucklers are designed."

Gracia nodded. "And the blade?"

"Evia suggested I start with a rapier when I wanted to learn swordplay," Oichi explained. "When she advised I choose a shield, too, I remembered her advice and picked a buckler."

"And how well do you match up to Lady Evia?" Gracia wondered.

"When she gets angry, _nobody_ matches up to Evia," Oichi observed. "She's got a Warlord's rage that no one in Ransei can even compare to. But in a spar, I can meet her blows well enough."

Gracia shuddered. "You get pretty scary when you're angry, too, Lady Oichi," she argued. "I still remember the first time you two attacked Nixtorm."

Oichi smiled. "You were just scared because I threatened to rip your channel bracelets off in the middle of-"

The swing of a blade cut her off; Oichi raised her rapier defensively as a Kartana whirled through the bamboo, coming to a stop before them as a green glow faded from its edges. The stalks around them started to collapse as it cried out at them, and Gracia held the buckler before her as Null gave an angry cry. "Nice of you to join us!"

Full roared, getting the beast's attention as he leapt towards it; it twisted through the air around him, swinging a Leaf Blade into his side as his claws razed through the air just past it. Gothitelle loosed a pulse of Future Sight before the beast made to approach her - and to Oichi's terror, it lunged towards her and Gracia, and she moved her rapier to meet its Leaf Blade, edge clashing against edge.

"What the hell-!?"

She forced the blade aside, and Gracia swung Oichi's buckler at the Kartana's other sword as Full charged up behind it; this time, his flaming blow hit true, and the Warriors parted as the beast flew between them. It righted itself and made to soar off, only for Gothitelle's Future Sight to bombard it in mid-flight, throwing it to the ground. As it tumbled, Full charged it again, and it didn't have the opportunity to move aside before another blow knocked it flat, whereupon it went still.

Gracia stumbled back. "What was that about?" she demanded. "Most Pokémon don't go for people if there's a Pokémon they can fight instead. None of the other beasts came for _us_ while everyone was still standing."

"I don't know," Oichi admitted. "Unless..." Her gaze went down to her rapier. "Did it maybe react to my sword?"

"What do you mean, your sword?" Gracia asked. "Why would it react to your sword?"

"It has blades of its own," Oichi observed. "It's like... it was trying to provoke me into a swordfight. I think it sees an blade as a greater opponent than other creatures."

The Nixtormer gulped warily. "You're not gonna test it by putting the sword away, are you?" she asked.

Oichi took a deep breath before sheathing her rapier. "I think I am."

They continued into the forest a little longer, Full continuing to mark their path; after a while, they did find another Kartana soaring in to attack them. This time, Gothitelle readied her Future Sight before Full charged in for close range - and when the beast made to evade, he waited for it to land a passing blow as it circled him, turning to face it.

The beast kept its attention on Full, disregarding the Warriors.

When he didn't make to attack, the Kartana closed the distance; Full turned his broadside to the beast, letting its blows land. Gothitelle's Future Sight struck it in the middle of the third swing, stunning it long enough for Full to raze his blazing claws down its body - the beast had no chance to evade as the attacks landed one-two. It tumbled aside, landing against a stalk of bamboo and falling limp.

"You were right," Gracia realized. "They go for your sword."

"The question is why," Oichi murmured. "Do these beasts attack one another?"

+x+x+x+

Elsewhere, Okuni and Kiyomasa had discovered the answer to her question. Kiyomasa had been dragging his scythe-spear in the dirt behind them as they walked to mark their trail - but he'd promptly abandoned it, figuring they could find where he'd left off after they were done making sure they weren't spotted. They'd found a small clearing in the bamboo; not broad enough to serve much purpose in terms of camping, but broad enough for a one-on-one fight between Warriors.

Or beasts, as the case might have been.

Two Kartana were standing in the clearing - yes, _standing_, at least for the most part - and seemed to be dueling each other, their edges shining with green light at every swing. Each meeting of blades was audible even from a distance, not the quiet brushing of paper that Okuni would have anticipated, but the harsh clatter of metal edge against metal edge; neither seemed to have anything resembling an advantage, each swing either meeting another or finding its target airborne before it could connect.

Volcarona and Haxorus tried to keep a low profile as they and their Warriors regarded the battle, and after a moment Kiyomasa asked, "Do we interrupt them?"

"No," Okuni insisted. "If one beats the other, we don't have to try and fight them both."

"Volcarona's got a type advantage twice over," Kiyomasa pointed out, "and she's more than capable of hitting them both at once."

"Yeah, and if we miss that opening, we'll be in a lot more trouble," Okuni reprimanded. "I'm not gonna try our luck."

Kiyomasa glanced at her. "Grass and metal," he retorted, remembering Oichi's analysis. "There's no way they could possibly have the offensive ability to-"

A cry from the beasts cut him off; one had managed to land a clean blow, and the other had been sent tumbling back. As it righted itself, it was facing the Warriors, and Okuni cursed as she saw it turn its blade towards them - and its opponent turn its attention the same way. "She who dares to tempt fate-!"

Volcarona leapt in, wings blazing as she started a Fiery Dance; one beast was seared by the blows, but the other managed to stay clear. The struck one spun away, hurt but not yet down for the count; Haxorus charged towards it as it neared the ground, tanked a Leaf Blade, and promptly began to bombard it with an Outrage as the one unharmed tried to near Volcarona.

She leapt around its diving swing, landing just past it and continuing to scatter flames; this attack just barely singed it as Haxorus managed to finish off the beast he'd targeted, throwing it to the ground. The other landed a passing Leaf Blade and touched down just out of range of Haxorus' last swing before the dragon mist parted; Volcarona leapt forward to close the distance, landing on its other side and beginning to dance, and this time the flames washed over it full-on, not offering the chance for the Kartana to escape.

It fell to the ground, and the beast tried to raise one blade... and then let it fall again.

Kiyomasa groaned, rolling his shoulders. "So smart, keeping out until they were done."

"Shut up," Okuni snapped. "I thought they'd be more focused on their fight. I've never seen a Warrior turn their attention away in the middle of a proper battle."

"How do you know that _was_ a proper battle?" Kiyomasa argued. "With how even it was, they might've just been sparring with each other."

Okuni's gaze fell. "Maybe," she admitted. "Or maybe that's just what happens when you get into a mirror match with swords."

"Would that there were two Warriors in Ransei so similar that we could test that theory," Kiyomasa snarked.

+x+x+x+

"Now this is getting odd."

Ranmaru's zanbato had made marking his, Mitsunari, and Masanori's path all too simple; it was an easier matter to let it drag in the dirt behind him than it was to hold it readily for battle. They'd fought a few Kartana already - and he'd been mildly concerned to have to fend off their swings with his edge - but now they'd come across something very different.

A rock garden.

There was a sizeable clearing, here, and the dirt had given way to sand - sand that had been formed in a pattern not unlike waves on water's surface. Stones of various sizes and shapes were spaced like islands on the sea. There didn't even seem to be any footprints upon the sand, nor any marks indicating the wake of a blade's swing; it was as though the beasts did not spend any significant amount of time here.

The beauty of the view was promptly cut short when Masanori charged past Ranmaru, looking over the place. "Woah," he muttered. "Talk about your weird settings."

Mitsunari set his folded fan against his brow as Krookodile followed his Warrior onto the sand. "Absolutely no respect for the arrangement."

"It would not have lasted long, in any case," Ranmaru observed, setting his zanbato upon his back again. "This place would serve us well to make camp."

He and Lucario stepped out as well; Mitsunari tried to stutter a protest, but only sighed, trading displeased looks with Bisharp before following suit. The stones were not only of different size, but also seemed to be of different composition, as well - the light bouncing off their different colours made them seem overgrown, or barren, or snow-capped, or _volcanic_. Ranmaru had seen rock gardens before, but none had ever given him a feeling quite like this, the sensation of being a giant wandering through the ocean.

After a moment, he saw one that seemed a bit different from the others - a stone no larger than a marble, resting in a small pit in the sand that looked rather like a whirlpool raging around it. At the scale of the other stones, this isle would be less than a sandbar, so small that a sailing ship would be forgiven for running aground upon it. Curious, he picked it up, finding it to be a perfect sphere; it had a strange gradient to its colour, fading from a deep pink to a bright yellow, and there was a twisting black shape within, best described as a bloated _S_ with three lines through it. When he turned the stone between his fingers, he found the shape within to be flat, all but vanishing at 90 degrees and then coming into existence again when the rotation continued.

Ranmaru became acutely aware of Lucario observing the stone at his side, and lowered it. "You say nothing to the ladies."

The Aura Pokémon gave an inquisitive cry.

"Yes, I'm taking it with me," Ranmaru whispered. His fingerless gloves were tight enough that when he popped the opening for his right hand's thumb and pushed the stone in, it was trapped against his palm - combined with how they vanished beneath his outer sleeves, he had no concerns it would be lost. "I feel a strange... power from this. Something I can't place." He shook his head. "But if they know I have this thing, they're not going to let me live it down, after that conversation we had in the Celesteela's valley."

Lucario raised an eyebrow at him.

"I _realize_ I'm being hypocritical," Ranmaru insisted. "I hope we _both_ have good reason to make me shut up."

"Why would you wanna make yourself shut up?"

Ranmaru yelped, whirling around and going for his zanbato before realizing that Masanori was standing there. Mitsunari, a few paces away still shook his head. "You muttering to your partner looks suspicious as all Distortion, you realize?"

"Do shut up," Ranmaru muttered at a higher pitch than he would have liked. "We're on an interdimensional odyssey, I'm not about to sell you lot out to anyone when the only Pokémon we can find are beasts we can't Link with."

Masanori blinked. "You can't Link with these things?"

"Didn't we tell you?" Ranmaru was both glad for the change of subject and surprised this hadn't come up. "I tried to Link with the first beasts we encountered, and it refused to let the Link go anywhere."

Mitsunari crossed his arms. "Now that's just weird."

Ranmaru nodded. "Indeed." He turned away. "I hope we don't find ourselves spending too much longer than..."

He trailed off, and the pair exchanged glances before Mitsunari asked, "What is it?"

"Are those berry trees?"

* * *

Draco: I don't believe in subtlety.

...I also can't read anything with the formula "I don't believe in [three syllables]" without hearing it to the tune of _Deja Vu_ from The World Ends With You, and now I've got the song stuck in my head. Come on, I'm already trying not to play anything while I'm on a roll, give me a break!


	25. Devastated Land: Incomparable Power

Draco: Okay, enough messing around with the foreshadowing. The stage is set, let's have some fun.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Devastated Land: Incomparable Power**

"What are you doing still asleep?"

Oichi forced herself to sit up at Okuni's intrusion into her tent, shaking her head once she was upright. "I wasn't... sleeping," she insisted. "I just... wasn't awake." She rubbed at her brow. "Had a bit of a weird dream last night."

Okuni narrowed her gaze. "Weird dream, or bad dream?"

"No, weird dream," Oichi assured her. "Evia was wearing my bikini."

The wanderer giggled. "So, _weird_ dream, or...?"

The healer turned bright red. "No, weird dream," she insisted again.

She stumbled out of the tent to find the others starting to pack theirs up. In the weeks since their split-up experiment, they'd limited their camp to the rock garden Ranmaru had found - so as to benefit from the grove of berry trees on its other side - and though the Kartana hadn't come after them very frequently while they remained on the sand, Oichi had to admit she would be glad to leave. The once beautiful waveforms of the sand were now trod upon with so many footsteps, blade marks, and attack aftermaths that she couldn't help but hope it would be restored to its former beauty in time.

Ranmaru handed Oichi a meal. "Here," he prompted. "The Cosmog are ready to open the gate."

Oichi accepted the food gratefully. "I suspected," she admitted.

"This one's gonna make nine," Gracia sighed. "And we've still got two missing Warriors to go."

"Only one of whom I'm terribly concerned about finding," Okuni admitted under her breath.

"Hey," Masanori argued, "Kotarō might be an asshat, but he's still a Warlord! I'd rather have him in Ransei than fed to beasts."

With an awkward shuffle, Oichi kept her attention on her meal.

"It's Warriors like him who thrive in chaos," Mitsunari insisted. "If Ransei's still getting visitors like you mentioned..."

"...he'd at least be able to help send 'em back where they came from," Kiyomasa finished. "Yeah, point."

Once everything was packed up, the Cosmog started to open the gate. After a moment, Type: Full lowered his head towards Oichi, opening his RKS slot; the healer accepted the Fire-type disc, slipping it into the empty case and putting it back in the bag.

"Good call," she praised. "Get it out ahead of time. Unless we run into another Ghost, you'll be fine on the offense if we don't get the chance to change you again."

"Are you so confident that we'll _not_ run into another Ghost?" Ranmaru asked.

Oichi shook her head. "Ghosts aren't very common, you know."

"But Bugs who are Fighters aren't very common either," Gracia reminded her, "and we've already run into two beasts who were both."

With a sigh, Oichi turned towards the slowly-brightening seam. "Well, if we do find another Ghost," she told them, "you guys can always say 'I told you so' once we're in the clear."

"Fair enough."

It didn't take too much longer for the Cosmog to throw the gate wide; Gracia caught them before they could hit the ground and led the jump in, followed quickly by Gothitelle. The others weren't too far behind; Ranmaru and Lucario, Masanori and Krookodile, Kiyomasa and Haxorus, Mitsunari and Bisharp, Okuni and Volcarona, and finally Oichi and Full.

+x+x+x+

The environment on the other side made the trod-upon rock garden look lovely.

Dark clouds shrouded the skies, immediately crushing any hopes that this place would be pleasant. The place looked like a kingdom had built a massive city around the throne, and something had tried to destroy it all; structures were in varying states of disrepair, ranging from 'a hole in the wall and a bit of rubble inside' to 'what do you mean this used to be building', and in the distance, Oichi could see a castle that was in progressively worse shape going from right to left. Strong walls extended around everything, albeit with several holes in it of a few different sizes and altitudes, and about the only thing that seemed to be undamaged was a wooden arch on a path that seemed to lead to the castle.

"So, uh..." Masanori nudged Oichi lightly in the side. "Remember that first time when we marched on Yaksha?"

"You mean when it was full of Umbra Hearts?" Oichi asked.

Kiyomasa nodded unpleasantly. "I'm kinda missing it, too, right now."

Mitsunari shuddered. "Yeah, I'll take a kingdom of Dark Knights over this any day."

Gracia whimpered, rubbing her hands together to get psychic power to drape them.

"Any suggestions, Lady Oichi?" Okuni asked.

Oichi took a deep breath. "Let's... start by going towards that castle," she insisted. "The right side looks more or less intact. We might even find soft beds in there, it would make a nice change of pace."

Ranmaru turned to her uncertainly - and reacted to something. "Look out-!"

Surprising even herself, Gracia was the one who moved to stop it fastest. The figure had only just landed behind Oichi before the Nixtormer was standing between it and her; she bashed its arm with one fist, causing its owner to stumble back and kneel. A black-furred figure charged out of the rubble towards Gothitelle, but Full intercepted it in mid-motion, pinning it to the ground beneath his claws.

It was a Zoroark.

Oichi turned around, drawing her rapier, to find Kotarō kneeling there, trying to get feeling back in his right hand.

"You-!?"

The Yakshan Warlord raised his gaze. "Oichi of Dragnor." His voice was rougher than normal, as though he'd gone some time without speaking and hadn't drank anything recently. "Whenever did you learn to hold a sword?"

"Kotarō of Yaksha..." Oichi held the tip of her rapier to his chin, prompting Gracia to step back to give her move room. "You just tried to _kill me _from behind."

"And you found your way to this Alphasaken disaster," Kotarō countered, "and dragged half of Ransei's junior Warlords after you."

A bitter smirk rose on the healer's lips. "Of course we'd find _you_ first," she muttered. "Why did I even entertain the hope."

Lucario stepped up to Zoroark, and Full waited until he was near enough before pulling his claws off of the Illusion Fox Pokémon. Oichi stepped back, but kept her rapier trained on Kotarō as he got to his feet. The claws that gripped the backs of his knuckles were much longer than those that had struck Oichi once before, but the way they were secured meant that motions as simple as seizing his opposite shoulder to try and provoke some feeling back into it wasn't hindered in any way.

"To be honest," Kotarō insisted, "I'm quite pleased to see familiar faces. Newmoon knows how long I've been here, with nothing but Pokémon that won't accept my Link no matter how many specimens I make the offer to."

"You've been trying to Link with the beasts of this place?" Ranmaru asked.

"Ha..." A smirk rose on Kotarō's face. "Beasts, you say? An apt moniker. They rampage through the streets, devouring all they can get their fangs on, and yet they never seem to run out of meals." He beckoned to Zoroark with his head. "We've been at a disadvantage if we try to fight them - guerilla tactics is the only way we can best them. We'd have fled this place ages ago, were there anything on the other side of those walls."

"Nothing?!" Okuni exclaimed.

Kotarō shook his head. "A layer of clouds so thick that vision cannot penetrate - and an absence beneath my feet when I try to take a step into them. All that's kept me going is the hope that something else will appear that I can face in a more _rewarding_ battle. And look who arrives..."

Oichi reached her blade further forward, touching the tip to his chest. "If you put those claws on anyone - if you make **any** movement that even _suggests_ you're going to attack us - I will chain you in that castle and leave you behind when we go."

The smirk fell from Kotarō's face. "You can depart this place?"

"The same way we got here," Oichi confirmed. "Just give us a few weeks."

Kotarō closed his eyes. "If you can ascend Infinity for a fairy tale, I can easily endure a finite period for a promise."

An ominous _thud_ from nearby drew everyone's attention; Oichi turned towards the sound, although she kept her buckler facing Kotarō, and everyone else drew their weapons as well. The Yakshan, however, only leaned his head back in exasperation.

"Ha..." He angled his gaze towards the sound. "I _know_ the welfare of the guest is the task of the host," he reprimanded, "but you could really leave me to my own devices for all of **ten**** minutes**."

Oichi glared at him for a fraction of a second before turning her attention back to the approach. "You'd know all about improper hospitality, wouldn't you?" she accused.

"The beasts of this place have waited on us pincer and claw," Kotarō proclaimed, "and seem to think it rude to have a guest carry his own weapons. Thank Evia on my behalf for teaching me the value of carrying spares."

Something broke through a sizeable building - a beast that looked like it could eat castle furniture whole. Its body was black and broad, possessing a vaguely triangular figure; its tail ended in a shape like the head of a mace, and no one doubted it had similar destructive capabilities. Its fangs were bright gold, jagged but closing into a solid surface; on either side, a flexible length ending in sharp pincers emerged from within its maw, and the entrance to its throat seemed to be lined with spiked arrayed vertically. Its feet were flat and clawed, and atop its head were a pair of arms that ended in three fingers each and a pair of horns that looked like they could pierce brick.

When it saw the the gathering of Warriors, it _roared_, fierce enough to shake the city around them.

Oichi's eyes swirled purple. "A dark dragon!" she warned.

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at the beast before it could approach, hitting it between the eyes. Ranmaru drew his zanbato in defense, and Oichi drew her rapier and buckler as Haxorus charged towards the beast, dragon mist blazing around his limbs. Gothitelle took several steps back to avoid being under threat - she knew she was of no use against a Dark-type - and Bisharp and Krookodile made to charge its flanks while Haxorus was still bombarding it with Outrage.

Then the beast _charged forward_ \- and dragon mist surged across its body as it did so. Haxorus was thrown aside, and Krookodile and Bisharp had no chance to react before it slammed into them, knocking them both down. Oichi barely had time to register how close it was to her now before one of the beast's pincers lunged towards her; she moved her blade and guard before it as she stumbled back, hoping she would be out of reach or else be able to stop the blow.

The pincer closed on her rapier, just barely not seizing Oichi as well - and the blade _shattered_.

Oichi released the rapier in a panic as the beast tried to correct its grip, the pincer closing on the weapon's hilt - and her buckler as well. Its other pincer lunged towards Ranmaru, closing on his zanbato and _bending_ the blade; then both withdrew towards the beast's maw, and their bounties were delivered into its mouth, whereupon its fangs closed and the sound of metal being shredded echoed out of its maw.

When they opened, its mouth was empty, and it roared again. Full charged at the beast, circling around it before it had the chance to bite him and raking his claws down its side; Volcarona leapt at the other side, twisting into a Fiery Dance. Lucario made to charge its fore to try and keep its attention on him, and Bisharp was coming up on its back before it twisted around with a blaze of dragon mist; the Pokémon were all thrown aside, and Lucario was bashed by the mace of its tail, tumbling across the ground.

Ranmaru had drawn his wrist-blades and was securing them on his bracelets as Lucario righted himself. "I've heard of gluttonous Pokémon," he observed, "but this beast has an appetite to put them all to shame."

Knowing it would mean next to nothing in self-defense, he took a combative stance anyways, and closed his fists.

And a flash of light emerged from within the grasp of his right hand.

Everyone started when a powerful, prismatic light shone from beneath Lucario's pack, and the beast's attention _was_ drawn to him now. Ranmaru barely had time to glance at his hand before the same light emerged from beneath his glove, both intensifying so much as to reduce all to silhouettes; a crystalline light wrapped around Lucario, blotting him out completely before starting to _crack_.

The dome shattered, and the light died down.

Lucario had changed - a powerful, threatening change that struck awe into all the Warriors there. His aura sensors had grown longer, more flexible, waving in their motion; the cream fur on his torso had expanded, giving him a high collar and draping his tail like a cape. The black marks upon his fur had expanded, linking all his body together, and on the borders between black fur and blue fur were flowing lines of shining aura. The spikes on his wrists had angled forward onto the backs of his hands, with second, shorter spikes on his forearms; similar paired spikes had appeared on his legs and feet, and two more spikes protruded forward from the rings upon his shoulders, parallel with the one upon his chest.

He opened his eyes, and they shone orange with constant aura.

For a brief moment, Lucario looked over himself, amazed at what had happened; then he turned his attention back to the beast before them, and _howled_, his cry echoing with a force that sent hair and garments flapping in the outward gale. He charged forward, and when the beast made to charge at him in return, he _leapt_ clean over the opponent. The beast had no opportunity to react before he landed at its side, and his fists charged forward, slamming a bombardment of the most rapid punches into its body, each no more than a tenth of a second from the last.

His transformation provoked the others into resuming their attack as well; Bisharp came up on the beast's other side, and twisted around to land a Night Slash across its hide. Krookodile came up behind it and Crunched its tail before he could be struck, and Volcarona leapt before it and blazed into a Fiery Dance. When the beast tried to attack them again, they all leapt aside; Lucario landed atop the wreckage of a building and hurled an Aura Sphere into its maw, and the projectile blast against it tongue as Haxorus came up and began to bombard it with Outrage once again. Full charged up on its side and slammed his claws down across it, and as the beast roared in protest Lucario leapt upon it, landing between its horns.

Another Aura Sphere appeared between his paws, and he raised it over his head and slammed it down atop the beast's head.

With one agonizing roar, the beast's strength was exhausted; its body went limp, its arms hanging at its sides and the pincers collapsing onto the ground. Its teeth closed, not with the force of a bite but as a consequence of its body making keeping them open the difficulty, and Lucario leapt from atop it and hit the earth before it so hard as to crack the pavement beneath him. After a moment, a softer glow washed over his body; when it faded, the changes that had washed over him had vanished, and he glanced over himself in uncertainty.

Kotarō was the one who broke the silence. "What in the Alpha's name was that?"

"Holy Distortion that was _so awesome!_" Gracia shrieked.

Okuni turned to Ranmaru. "How did you do that?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "I have no idea," he proclaimed, his voice at a high pitch wrought of terror and relief, "but I don't think it could have been more fortunately timed."

"Let's take it as a blessing and leave it at that, for now," Oichi insisted. "Kotarō, have you been to that castle?" She pointed to the half-broken citadel.

"It's gate, at least," Kotarō replied, "but I've been unable to open it."

"Well, one Warrior and one Pokémon is only so much strength," Oichi observed. "Lead the way there, we'll see if we can't brute-force it." Then, drawing her staff from her back; "And if you give us anything resembling trouble, I'm going to bury you under one of these buildings."

Kotarō shook his head. "You offer me escape from this wretched place," he observed. "I've every reason _not_ to anger you..."

He and Zoroark started to lead the way through the city. "...before that time comes."

Gracia came up to Oichi as she started to follow suit. "You should probably switch Full's disc," she suggested. "While we're not fighting any beasts."

"Good call," Oichi praised, seizing the bag full of discs; after a moment, she found the disc labelled _RKS Fairy Memory Program._

* * *

Draco: Ultra Beasts and Mega Evolution and Fairy-types, oh my. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Guzzlord  
-Range: 2  
-Move: Dragon Rush  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Tenacity


	26. Devastated Land: Sacred Vow

Draco: **PRE-SUBMIT ****EDIT:** I'm going to repeat a point I feel like I've made before. If you're going to ask a question and expect me to answer, you need to be logged in so I can actually know who you are and can contact you. I'm not going to respond to nameless guest reviews in my author's comments. **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT**

I'm gonna save the ramble about Mega Evolution for the bottomside so this topside isn't super-crowded.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Devastated Land: Sacred Vow**

"Wow, not much of a bridge."

The kingdom was connected to the town around it by a long, narrow bridge over a broad moat running through stone. Everyone in their party was able to cross it well enough, but with the breadth of the beasts in this place, Oichi suspected if they were to try to cross it, they'd end up in the drink. To her surprise, the water in the moat looked to be qute clear clear; she had her suspicions that it would be safe to drink.

"You said you'd never come into this place," Gracia observed, looking at the progressively worse condition the castle was in towards the left side. "Didn't you ever try to climb around?"

Kotarō shook his head. "When I tried to step outside the walls, there was nothing beneath my feet. I have no intention of discovering how deep the drop is because I tried an unorthodox entrance and lost my footing."

The castle doors indeed held quite fast against attempts to force it open, no matter how many of them added their strength to it - and was built such that an angry Aura Sphere from Lucario blew a hole in it rather than causing the entirety to collapse. However, by looking _through_ that hole, Gothitelle was able to use her psychic power to lift the bar and locks on the other side, whereupon the doors swung open easily enough.

Unfortunately, it was immediately clear that whatever had caused most of the damage to the town had not been the beasts, as the castle entrance hall was in a similar condition. With a sigh, Oichi glanced around. "With that bridge," she observed, "those beasts most likely aren't going to be in here."

One of the Cosmog gave a shimmering cry.

"Guzzlord, you say?" Kotarō smirked. "And from whence did that name come, I wonder." There was an unmistakable sarcasm in his voice at the comment.

Oichi shook her head. "Anyways, without beasts in here, I reckon it would be relatively safe for us to split up and search this place. That said..."

"Keep in parties with at least type advantage all the same," Ranmaru finished.

"Mitsunari and Masanori can come with me," Kiyomasa mused.

"I'll go with Lord Ranmaru," Gracia requested.

"And I, as well," Okuni added.

Oichi nodded. "Alright." She glanced around; there was a large door on either side of the entrance hall, and a stairwell that led to a single door on the second floor. "I'll take the upper floor, if you guys don't mind."

Ranmaru and the girls headed to the left side of the hall - which, from the outside look, would be the damaged side of the castle - and the troublemakers took the right side. Once they were gone, Type: Full levelled his gaze on Zoroark, who regarded him warily, and Kotarō turned to face Oichi. "I suspect you have further motives for parting into parties than simply covering more ground."

"You've done nothing to earn my trust so far," Oichi reprimanded. "I'd rather keep you where you can do the least damage."

"I brought you to this place, didn't I?" Kotarō argued.

"To keep your path out of this Distorted otherworld safe," Oichi observed. "Kindness motivated by self-interest is no kindness at all."

"Ha..." Kotarō smirked. "A far cry you are from the whimpering medic who was surprised to take a blow to her body instead of her weapon."

Oichi aimed her staff at him. "You're a mockery to what Warriors are meant to be," she reprimanded.

"A Warrior is a warmonger," Kotarō argued. "A man innate with bloodlust."

"The power to forge a Link comes with the desire to do battle for the battle's own sake," Oichi corrected. "No blood need be spilled to sate it. Let alone what you did to the people of Yaksha."

Kotarō shook his head. "And you have ever left me wondering what _you lot_ did to the people of Yaksha," he observed. "To think they would be pulled from the umbras of their hearts so irrevocably..."

Oichi's staff moved; Kotarō meant to defend against a blow to his body and found the shaft instead sweeping against his claws. One set was pried off of his right hand, and before he could try to reclaim them the other was knocked from his left - the claws clattered to the ground, immobile and helpless. Zoroark tried to charge Oichi, only for Full to intercept him, pinning him to the ground beneath forelegs that glowed with Fairy light; when Kotarō made to reclaim his weapons, Oichi pushed the head of her staff against his chest.

"Look," the healer snapped. "We can get you out of here. But the destination on the other side of the gate _isn't_ under our control. We have no idea how long it will be before we see Ransei again. And I am _not_ going to tolerate you being a sadistic little bag of Mulch as soon as you have a road out of Guzzlord territory. If you're going to spend _any_ amount of time with us, I will have your **word** that you will treat us as we treat our allies - **not** at you have treated yours."

"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Very well. You have it on my honour as a Warlord."

The healer narrowed her gaze. "You've run off on your kingdom twice now," she reminded him. "I have no reason to believe that your honour as a Warlord is worth anything."

Kotarō's smirk fell. "On the power to forge a Link, then," he corrected. "Without that, I'm no Warrior at all."

"Only a Trainer," Oichi observed.

"A what?" There was genuine confusion on his face.

"People who fight alongside Pokémon outside of Ransei," Oichi elaborated. "Brother's been telling stories about them since he got back for the wedding."

"And you think I would be just as capable if I were to act as one of these 'Trainers', do you?" Kotarō demanded. "How can I promise you anything if you refuse to accept it?"

"I think you know exactly what to tell me in order for me to accept it," Oichi observed.

There was silence in the entrance hall for a long moment; then Kotarō stepped back, fell to one knee, and pressed his hands against each other - index and middle fingers pressed together, others splayed apart - as he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I am Kotarō of Yaksha. Under sacred vow, upon my own life and the Distortion World itself, home to Antimatter who shall hold my soul should my vow be broken, I swear my loyalty to Oichi of Dragnor, in battle, out of battle, across Ransei, across the seas, through the skies and within the depths of the earth itself..."

+x+x+x+

_"...no matter where I may be."_

_When Nobunaga and his underlings had arrived in Yaksha, the last thing Kotarō had expected to do was swear anything to the Fool of Dragnor. But six of the most infamous names in eastern Ransei had marched into the courtyard of Yaksha Castle and bested him and his Umbra shinobi in combat - and the Sky Demon of Ransei had made him swear a sacred vow that the Yakshan Warlord would serve as a man of his army._

_Sixty seconds passed after the last words left Kotar__ō's lips; then Nobunaga stepped forward, and set two fingers upon the Yakshan's shoulder as he passed._

_There were a lot of rules Kotarō was willing to break, but a sacred vow on Distortion was not one of them. So he had served as one of Nobunaga's generals, and ruled over Yaksha awaiting orders - and when Evia of Aurora had bested him in combat, he and Zoroark had travelled to Nixtorm, as he had been told. When he arrived, Mitsuhide had instructed him to remain in the castle until Nobunaga arrived - and once the Fool of Dragnor had arrived, they had met one another in the castle courtyard._

_"Tell me that you fought to the best of your abilities," Nobunaga warned._

_"And was overcome all the same," Kotarō confirmed._

_Nobunaga nodded. "Then your failing is no fault of yours," he proclaimed. "Kneel."_

_Kotarō pulled his claws from his gauntlets, fell to his knees, and set his weapon upon the snow before pressing his hands together once again._

+x+x+x+

"...no matter where I may be."

Oichi was silent for sixty seconds; then she stepped forward and set two fingers upon Kotarō's shoulder as she passed him. Type: Full lifted his claws from Zoroark, who righted himself with an irritable huff, and Kotarō picked up his claws, clasping them onto the backs of his gauntlets once more.

"Any ongoing orders, _Lady_ Oichi?" he demanded. "Conditions on which to tender my resignation from your army, perhaps?"

+x+x+x+

_"A bit unnecessary, don't you think? Isn't verbal confirmation enough?"_

_Ginchiyo's question had Evia shaking her head. She and Oichi had been seeing each of the Warlords of western Ransei to their castles in person - and for good reason, with the terms under which the kingdoms were being returned._

_"I know you said the oath was a formality," the Auroran insisted, "but the oath was made all the same. So I need to release you from it - properly. Or Hatched Destruction will be a blessing on you, for no fault of your own."_

_The Violitian sighed. "Very well," she conceded._

_Oichi watched as Ginchiyo dropped to her knees and pressed her hands together, closing her eyes. Evia stepped forward and set two fingers upon the Warlord's pauldron._

_"I am Evia of Aurora. With Antimatter as my witness, I release you from your sacred vow to serve me, in battle, out of battle. Henceforth, you answer only to those of your own choosing - until the day the Distortion World takes you."_

_Silence draped the courtyard of Violight for sixty seconds; then she lifted her fingers away and stepped past her, and Ginchiyo got to her feet, dusting off her greaves. She and Muneshige headed back inside, and Evia stepped up to Oichi. "I'm gonna tour around the trigram for a bit," she observed. "You want to wait for me in Aurora?"_

_"You don't want my company?" Oichi asked._

_Evia smiled. "Not that," she insisted. "But it would be nice to have someone to come home to."_

_Oichi turned deep red at her comment. "I-If you'd like," she conceded. "You released Motochika and Motonari earlier, right?"_

_"Yes," Evia confirmed, her face falling. "Is that why you...?"_

_"Part of it," Oichi confirmed. "I wanted to see you release them firsthand. After what we went through up there..."_

_"I know what you mean," Evia admitted. "Those vows have a whole new weight to them. After what we saw... I never want to ask an oath like that of anyone again."_

_She held her hand before her - where the mark of the Alpha's rings had shone while her Link had held._

+x+x+x+

"You're not to bring harm to any of us," Oichi proclaimed, glancing at Kotarō over her shoulder. "For any reason. And if any of us are in danger, you'll do your damnedest to keep us safe - Warriors and Pokémon alike. Am I clear?"

"Crystalline," Kotarō confirmed.

+x+x+x+

A day's searching (not that the clouds had gotten any less impenetrable, but everyone was as tired as if a day had been spent) revealed that the castle was indeed devoid of beasts. Alas, the hopes of warm beds had been struck down; there were a few chambers that seemed to be bedrooms, but the only thing that even resembled a bed was a bloodstained pile of feathers in the nicest of them.

"I'm still thinking we shouldn't go without a watch," Gracia suggested.

"Definitely," Okuni agreed. "I'll take the first one."

Dinner was dished out; as she was finishing up, Oichi turned to Ranmaru. "You said you found a close path to the moat?" she asked. "Could you show me the way?"

Ranmaru nodded. "Certainly."

The two Warriors, Lucario, and Type: Full made their way through the castle; the access was through what seemed to be a dungeon of some kind, though none of the cells looked like they'd had doors for ages. The moat was broad enough and flowing fast enough that Oichi wouldn't want to try her luck swimming across, but the door deposited them on the inner shore, barely above water level, offering her a chance to empty her staff and refresh it.

"May I see it?"

Her question had Ranmaru starting. "See what?"

Oichi lifted her staff from the water, standing it at her side. "The stone, in your glove."

Lucario gave a smarmy-sounding growl; Ranmaru sighed, angling his hand down and withdrawing his fingers into the glove so as to open the finger holes for the stone to slip out through. He handed the stone to Oichi, who accepted it in her free hand and held it before her. "Where did you find this?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "The rock garden, in the Kartana's bamboo grove. The day we split up."

"And that was the first time it reacted like that?" Oichi mused. "Lucario, let me see yours."

The Aura Pokémon stepped forward, turning his back so that Oichi could open the pocket in the holster she'd made for him. The stone they'd found in the Celesteela's valley was no different than when she'd put it in there (although she felt like it had less of the granite flakes on its outer surface than it had before), yet as she held it in one hand and Ranmaru's in the other, she felt a strange resonance.

"Interesting," she murmured, her eyes flickering purple. "They're definitely reacting to each other... But it's not going anywhere." She handed Lucario's stone back to him and held Ranmaru's towards it once he had it in his hands. "That one's reacting to you, but not to this one while I'm holding it."

She handed it back to Ranmaru, who closed his fist on it uncertainly - and was surprised when neither Lucario or his stone showed any difference. "Still nothing?" he mused, opening his hand again. "But earlier, it..."

After a moment, Oichi stepped back. "I wonder if it's reacting to battle somehow," she mused. "Spar with me and Full."

"Alright, then..." Ranmaru helped put Lucario's stone back in his holster before stepping back as well.

Full nodded in acknowledgement.

Lucario smirked, taking a fighting stance.

Oichi tapped her staff on the ground beneath her. "Begin!"

The two Pokémon charged at one another.

Ranmaru closed his fist on his stone again.

And this time, it _did_ react. That prismatic light pulsed from the stone in Lucario's holster, and Ranmaru held his stone forward as it began to do the same. Full skidded to a halt as that dome of light surrounded Lucario - and when it cracked and shattered once again, his form was changed as it had been in the fight with the Guzzlord. The stone and the holster that had held it seemed to have _vanished_, a small detail that had gone unnoticed in the heat of battle; Lucario ground to a halt, looking over himself more attentively now that he didn't have a beast storming down on him.

"That's interesting," Oichi mused. "It's not like... evolution, quite. It's like you're just... filled with power." Full made to raise his claws, and Lucario reacted; he dashed to Full's side and bombarded him with punches as he had the Guzzlord, and though it didn't have the impact on a Fairy-type as it did on a Dark-type, it still had quite the power to it. "And there's a new... versatility to you," she observed. "I've never seen a Pokémon do something like this."

"Nor have I," Ranmaru confirmed.

After a moment, Full and Lucario deliberately stepped away from one another; and that softer glow washed over Lucario again, returning him to how he was. "Odd," Oichi murmured. "It's like the stones are... reacting to the flow of battle. Like they can tell when you're fighting and when you're not, and they let you do that."

Ranmaru took a deep breath and sighed. "In any case, it's getting late," he observed. "We should head back."

"Yeah," Oichi agreed, "sounds good." She held out her hand to Ranmaru. "You want me to put that in something a little more reliable?"

"If you insist," Ranmaru conceded, handing her the stone.

They started back into the ruined castle; as they were approaching the dungeon exit, Ranmaru spoke up. "Lady Oichi, I... happened to overhear your conversation with Kotarō in the entrance hall."

"Did you, now." Oichi wasn't terribly surprised.

"Might I ask your motive for demanding his vow?" Ranmaru asked. "I mean, Lord Nobunaga wanted to ensure his Warriors' loyalty in the face of... his motivations, but this odyssey shouldn't-"

"Kotarō is a madman," Oichi insisted, "and the Warrior's blessing has only enabled him. He's tried to kill me twice now. He wants to get out of this place - I don't know for sure how much he cares where _else_ he ends up. The vow was the only way I knew for sure he wouldn't try anything until we were back home. If it had been any other Warrior _in Ransei_ \- even that asshat Takatora - I wouldn't have made them swear it."

Ranmaru took a deep breath. "After what we saw atop that tower," he observed, "I don't blame you."

* * *

Draco: So, I know I took a look at the idea of Pokémon Conquest as a Generation VI game back in Chapter 2, but it was mostly for the introduction of the Fairy type, I didn't really analyze the idea of including Mega Evolution. After giving it more thought, I can think of two possible setups for Warriors to be Mega Evolution capable.

1) It's a Warlord-exclusive thing, possibly even a Rank II/III-exclusive thing. Warlords, exclusively, have the ability to perform Mega Evolution (reflected in wearing Key Stones on their sprites the same way it's reflected on Trainers' models in the core series). The Warlord must be equipped with the Mega Stone corresponding to the Pokémon they send out into battle; once the conditions are met, Mega Evolution is an option.

2) There is a held item Key Stone that you only get one of and is carried over between playthroughs, in the manner of the Jigglypuff Charm that you get for Oichi or the Warlord-specific Crystals that Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Tadakatsu get. Maybe have it that Mega Stones just need to be in your inventory like Let's Go. Any Warrior can carry the Key Stone into battle and be able to perform Mega Evolution if their Pokémon is capable.

I think they'd still have the one-Mega-per-battle cap even with option 1, but I think I'd prefer option 2. Not all Warlords have a Mega-capable Pokémon as their Perfect Link. Regardless of option, I feel like Mega Stones would also be carry-overs between save files; maybe have them for sale from those randomized wandering merchants, all their wares are shared between files. Also, they gave Rayquaza its fancy Meteorite as a substitute Mega Stone in one of the spinoffs, I suspect they'd do the same here. And probably have Groudon's Primal Reversion run on the same mechanics.

As for the mechanics when a Pokémon _is_ Mega-Evolved, that's another gauntlet. Given examples like Charizard and Mewtwo's X-type Mega Evolutions, I feel like triggering a Mega Evolution should also come with a change in move. However, that would risk affecting the tactical value of their existing move. My setup would be that triggering the Mega Evolution proceeds to giving you the _choice_ of which move to attack with. And, with the existing condition that a given Mega Evolution has a fixed ability regardless of which ability slot the Pokémon has, I'm thinking the same would entail here.

With all that made clear, here's Lucario's Mega-Evolved battle info.

Mega Lucario  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Aura Sphere | Close Combat  
-Ability: Conqueror

Close Combat (Fighting)  
-Attack area: single tile in front  
-Effect: 1-stage Defense reduction to user


	27. Nest in the Sky: Devilish Horde

Draco: I'm gonna be honest with you guys, nothing quite annoys me like imprecise release dates well past the time when precision should be available. If you know that you're gonna release something "late in [month]", that could be anything from [month] 15th to the _day before [next month]_, and you should have a good idea of which end it's closer to by the time [month] rolls around. If you're planning to release something "early in [year]", that could mean anything from January of [year] to _June_ of [year], and by New Year's Day [year], you should have an idea as to _how_ early in [year] it's going to come out.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Nest in the Sky: Devilish Horde**

"I'm not sure if I'm more pleased by being able to rest properly, or being able to best those accursed beasts instead of running for my life."

Kotarō's comment as he, Oichi, and Ranmaru arrived back at the ruined castle had his escorts trading glances. "I'm not sure I blame you, on that front," Ranmaru admitted. "We've had a similar disadvantage with a different beast."

It was four weeks since they had arrived at the Guzzlord's ruins. With the safety of making camp in the castle, where the beasts couldn't reach them, the Ranseans had developed a pattern of search and rest, with Type: Full, Lucario, and Zoroark accompanying their Warriors into town so they could seek out... anything that might still be of use in the broken buildings, while the others waited in the castle on defense.

When they made camp, Kotarō had gotten his own tent, Okuni and Gracia sharing once again.

As they made their way back inside, Oichi was surprised to find the others packing up camp. "Oh?" she mused. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yep," Gracia confirmed. "We're ready to get out of here."

"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Excellent. Then let this gate be opened, that we might be quit of this place."

With cheerful shimmers, the Cosmog started to soar in their circle, mist flowing around them. Full lowered his head towards Oichi, allowing her to remove his Fairy-type RKS disc; after a moment's contemplation, she decided to leave the slot empty, closing the bag and prompting Null to stand tall again.

The seam was slowly getting wider, and Kotarō started to shift uncomfortably, earning Okuni's attention. "Something troubling you, Mulchlord?"

"Just... seems a bit unnatural, this," the Yakshan insisted.

Okuni turned back to it. "You're not wrong."

Soon enough, the gate was thrown wide; as the Cosmog started to drift down, Gracia caught them and leapt into the rift, Gothitelle following behind. Oichi insisted Kotarō and Zoroark go next, and Ranmaru and Lucario quickly followed them through as insurance; Mitsunari and Bisharp, Masanori and Krookodile, and Kiyomasa and Haxorus rapidly followed suit, and then Okuni and Volcarona jumped in before Oichi and Full brought up the rear.

+x+x+x+

There was the Xurkitree's power plant, which was on such a steep slope that for all intents it might as well have been floating in the sky.

There was the Guzzlord's ruin, which was surrounded by clouds so impenetrable that no one knew for sure that it _wasn't_ floating in the sky.

But it was an entirely different experience to stand in a place that was _verifiably_ floating in the sky - as this place was. The sky around them was bright, like midday, yet there seemed to be no source to the light that illuminated it; hexagonal segments, of a dark colour that was hard to make out from the contrast, were assembled like Combee in a haphazard plane extending forward, its breadth and direction seeming to vary at random. Further ahead, the segments formed a massive, almost spherical structure that extended upward and downward - it seemed to be a nest of some sort, though for what sort of beasts, no one was quite sure. Further away from that nest, the path became thinner, until it was individual segments were suspended just past each other, like stepping stones in the sky.

Oichi considered them all fortunate that they had landed on a portion of the path wide enough for everyone to land.

"Ugh..." Okuni's grip tightened on her parasol. "I never liked being in Avia."

"I _loved_ being in Avia," Oichi mused, "but it was a little on the safer side than this."

Ranmaru looked towards the nest, seeing a segment missing along the path that would serve as an entrance. "I imagine camp will be a little more secure within than without," he observed. "But what sort of beasts would propagate in a place like this? It looks like a Beedrill's hive."

After a moment, Oichi reached for her disc bag, prompting Full to lower his head towards her and open his RKS slot. "I think defense should be our priority, here," she mused, drawing out the Steel-type disc and slipping it in.

"Definitely," Gracia agreed. "I really don't want to see if there's a bottom to this."

"Don't be absurd," Kotarō reprimanded. "With such a fall as this, you'd lose consciousness before you ever reached a bottom."

Gracia glared at him. "That's _not better!_"

"Ha..."

"Quiet," Oichi reprimanded. "Let's be careful as we go in."

She and Full led the march; Gracia and Gothitelle followed behind, the Nixtormer keeping her arms around the Cosmog as she did. Ranmaru and Lucario followed behind them, and then Kotarō and Zoroark; Okuni and Volcarona were close behind, and then Kiyomasa and Haxorus, Masanori and Krookodile, and Mitsunari and Bisharp bringing up the back.

The interior of the nest was oddly... ominous. There was a solid floor just within, and a small antechamber of sorts with an opening on either side; the enclosed space made it easier to tell that the hexagonal segments were a dark grey nearly black, and the spaces between them seemed to _glow_, offering a small bit of ambient light. Through those opening was a large room that seemed almost like a viewing platform, with every other segment in the wall ahead missing and parallel slopes nearby that allowed passage up or down. The wall didn't seem to continue endlessly, stopping at about 90 degrees around the nest's circumference, and through the gaps, the Warriors could see the walls opposite scattered with brighter grey segments that seemed almost _crystalline_.

After a moment, Oichi warily stepped up to the edge, glancing around the area before looking down.

At the floor of the nest was a larger gap, with a similarly crystalline surface - but the size of this one made it easier to see that it was somewhat transparent, giving her a view at what lay beneath. Lying beneath was a large purple figure that seemed oddly familiar; it had a draconic upper body, with sizeable spikes on its shoulders, thin arms that ended with three-clawed hands, and a pair of sharp-looking wings, yet its lower body was possessed of a swollen abdomen with three stingers, one much larger than the others.

"What is that beast?" she murmured.

Gracia stepped up beside her, looking down. "It... looks kind of like a Poipole," she observed. "Or, like, something that _evolved_ from a Poipole."

"I'm not totally sure I'd be surprised," Oichi admitted. "Poipole weren't as strong as most of the other beasts we've fought." Her eyes swirled purple. "It's... a Dragon. But it's still poisonous, like the Poipole."

The Cosmog looked down from Gracia's arms, and one gave a wary cry.

"Naganadel," Kotarō echoed. "An ominous name, that one." As the two turned away from the ledge, he asked, "And how much trouble did its prevolution give you?"

"Its adhesives gave us more trouble than its toxins, to be honest," Ranmaru observed. "But a Dragon is another matter altogether."

"One double-edged sword," Okuni observed, beckoning to Haxorus. Then, to Volcarona, "One with a straight offensive disadvantage. One with an offensive disadvantage and a defensive advantage." Lucario. Then Krookodile. "One who _might_ have a defensive advantage. One on neutral ground." Zoroark. Then Gothitelle. "One with a straight offensive advantage... um, Oichi?"

"No, I think we'll keep with the Steel," Oichi insisted.

"Two with a straight defensive advantage," Okuni accounted for, beckoning to Full, and Bisharp. "And what sort of numbers are we dealing with?"

Oichi glanced back into the nest. "It's just the one Naganadel," she observed. "But... those segments in the opposite wall..." She grit her teeth. "I think there might be Poipole inside."

"Inside each of those?" Kiyomasa wondered. "That's a whole lot of beasts..."

"You said they weren't much trouble in battle," Masanori mused. "Just the stickiness, right?"

"But that was with a small party and room to run, wasn't it?" Mitsunari observed. "And how many at once?"

"Never more than three," Ranmaru admitted. "Well, _one_ encounter with six, and that was a trial."

Kotarō shook his head. "With so many, I wouldn't wager that-"

"Um, guys?" Gracia had terror in her voice. "The big one's awake...!"

Oichi turned back to find the Naganadel was indeed awake - and looking straight at them. It had bright, glowing eyes, like the Poipole, but these ones seemed to be conjoined, like a visor. As its wings started to move, the crystalline cover in its pit seemed to _sublimate_; it lifted up, coming level with the Warriors gathered there, and aimed its stingers at them.

"Frick," Masanori muttered.

"Mulch," Kiyomasa mumbled.

The beast opened its mouth - and power began to well in its maw.

"_Frick Mulch!_" Mitsunari screeched.

Everyone leapt apart as the Dragon Pulse flew, slamming into the wall of the antechamber they'd come in through; the impact shook the area enough to knock anyone who hadn't landed firmly off their feet. Oichi cursed, putting her back against one of the segments in the wall with the gaps as she tried to strategize.

"Gracia, Kiyomasa, Okuni, head lower down, see if you can blindside it! Mitsunari, Masanori, Kotarō, try to get it from above!" The Warriors and their Pokémon took off as she turned to Ranmaru. "You and me have defense, we're gonna keep it busy!"

"I think we can do that!" Ranmaru insisted.

He and Lucario charged off as he seized the necklace hanging around his neck - which Oichi had made to hold his prismatic stone. The dome of light that wrapped Lucario as he passed his Warrior by got the Naganadel's attention; it soared back and turned towards him, and as the changed Lucario halted before one of the windows, he hurled an Aura Sphere towards the beast. It was halfway there before the beast's Dragon Pulse flew; the two attacks collided in the air and burst, sending cracks along the walls around them.

Full roared out one of the other windows, and the Naganadel rushed up to it as he retreated towards the opposite walls. That left it close enough for the others to act; Krookodile leapt out of a window above, leaving it no time to react before he Crunched the beast's largest stinger. The Naganadel started to thrash in the air, and the Intimidation Pokémon was left flailing on the end of its tail like an excited Frogadier until his jaw slacked and he was flung into the window below Full - right past Gothitelle, who loosed a psychic pulse as Gracia backed against the wall between windows, the Cosmog still held close in her arms.

The beast didn't have the chance to follow through on the throw before Zoroark swung on the corner of the same window Krookodile had come out of - and a Night Daze surged out vertical around him, striking the Naganadel from above. It rose up confrontingly as Zoroark retreated, only to find Bisharp standing there; the Sword Blade Pokémon whirled into a Night Slash, twisting the beast around, and Lucario hurled another Aura Sphere at it while it was reeling, this one hitting true and slamming it against the wall between levels.

It opened its mouth, intending to retaliate against the blow with another Dragon Pulse - and Future Sight ripped up around it as Gothitelle's attack hit true. The Naganadel fell to the lowest level, and from the next window up, Haxorus leapt down. Dragon mist surged around the Axe Jaw Pokémon as he landed; Volcarona leapt from the window on the bottom level as he bombarded the beast with Outrage, starting her Fiery Dance to double the blows. As their two-front strike faded, the Naganadel twisted around in protest, starting to rise up to get away from them.

Gothitelle loosed another pulse as it passed her.

Bisharp propelled himself out as it it rose high enough, passing it with a ferocious Night Slash.

Zoroark leapt out at it when it recoiled, grabbing its shoulder spike for another Night Daze.

Lucario jumped towards it as it tried to pull him off, hooking his legs around its neck as he ravaged its torso with a Close Combat.

Krookodile charged out the window as it descended, Crunching its main stinger once again.

Volcarona hopped over it as it landed, and she twisted into another Fiery Dance as Haxorus bombarded it with Outrage.

Then Full leapt from the entrance level - and while Gothitelle's Future Sight surged out around it, he descended on the beast's main body, claws trailing a metallic light through the air until they connected with its chest.

The Naganadel roared, the sound echoing through the nest around them; then it slumped to the ground, its eyes closing.

Full stepped off of the beast as the Warriors gathered on the lower level - and once he was sure it wasn't waking up, Kotarō breathed a sigh of relief. "This beast is new to hospitality," he mused. "Running itself ragged just to deal with so many guests."

Lucario started; Ranmaru stepped up to one of the windows and saw what he was panicking over. "Oh no," he muttered. "It woke up the rest!"

The other crystalline patches along the walls had sublimated like the Naganadel's - and from each, a Poipole did indeed emerge. The ominous laughter of so many beasts had everyone panicking, and Okuni aimed her parasol before her warily. "Oh, no," she muttered. "What do we do...?"

Weak shimmers from the Cosmog drew everyone's attention; Gracia had barely glanced down at them before a light wrapped them, and they vanished from her arms. "No, wait!" She glanced around. "Where did they...?"

She turned and charged up the stairs, earning Ranmaru's yell. "Where are you going!?"

Everyone turned to Oichi, who shook her head. "Full retreat!" she insisted. "Follow her!"

The Warriors dashed out ahead of their Pokémon; Null brought up the back and was barely inside before sticky streams of Venoshock struck the earth between the Naganadel and their entrance. Gracia found herself running out through the antechamber, finding the Cosmog standing out against the skies at the end of the walkway.

And scattering mist as they swept around in circles.

"No! Stop!" The Nixtormer dashed towards them, panicking. "What are you doing!? You haven't had the chance to-!"

She was cut off when an arm grabbed hers, and she turned towards it. "Lady Oichi!"

"We have to get out of here," Oichi insisted. "No one's Pokémon can fly, and we can't Link with those beasts! If they're _offering,_ don't stop them!" She turned to the others coming up behind her, and yelled, "Keep retreating - and hold off the beasts!"

Gothitelle was at the lead of the Pokémon as they fled the nest; she promptly turned, letting the others pass her before loosing a pulse of psychic power. The Warriors found that the Cosmog were off the portion where the walkway subsided into stepping stones, and Gracia stationed herself nearest the Cosmog, fighting the urge to grab them and stop them from opening the gate when they were still exhausted from the last. Kiyomasa, Masanori, and Mitsunari positioned themselves on the next stepping stones, and Kotarō had the last one that was separate from the walkway; Ranmaru and Okuni took the two segments it would have been connected to, and Oichi was the one closest to the nest.

As the Poipole started to emerge, Gothitelle's trap Future Sight went off on the segments of the walkway near the entrance, ripping the center portions out and slamming them into the beasts to batter them. Haxorus, Zoroark, and Volcarona spaced themselves diagonally along the walkway; once the advancing Poipole got near, Volcarona leapt forward into a Fiery Dance, Haxorus blazed dragon mist as he swung in a wild Outrage, and Zoroark slammed one paw to the walkway to loose a Night Daze.

The beasts were flung aside by the triple onslaught - Oichi had underestimated just how weak the unevolved Poipole were compared to the Naganadel. As Haxorus' Outrage subsided, he and the others retreated past Bisharp and Lucario; the still-changed Aura Pokémon hurled an Aura Sphere into the horde, the outshocks of the impact striking a good few beasts away, and when the next front of the swarm drew near, Bisharp twisted into a broad Night Slash that cut wide, stunning still more before they could land the first blow.

The two Steel-types started to retreat again as the Cosmog tiredly pulled apart; they swung their arms forward, and the gate was thrown wide, on a horizontal plane this time. As the combatants, at the prompting of their Warriors, redoubled their pace, the two star-dusted Pokémon slumped in the air, closed their eyes, and fell towards the rift.

"_Cosmog!_"

Gracia leapt from her platform as they vanished, diving in as she would into water; Kiyomasa leapt in after her, Masanori leapt in after him, and Mitsunari after him. Kotarō dashed across the open platforms and leapt in with his claws at the ready, and Okuni and Ranmaru promptly followed. Oichi waited, her staff in hands, as Zoroark, Volcarona, and Haxorus passed her; then Lucario, then Gothitelle, and then Bisharp. Full was charging behind after Bisharp; on seeing Oichi still intent on waiting, his mouth lunged forward, and he seized her by the back of her garb before she had the chance to stop him, carrying her like a Pyroar with a Litleo in its mouth as he leapt across the stepping stones.

"No, wait!" Oichi protested; the Poipole were still charging after her. "We can't let them through the- _Ah!_"

Full flung her into the gate ahead of him before leaping from the last segment and diving in after her.

He'd barely vanished into it before it flickered out of existence - and Venoshock streams converged where it had been as the Poipole cried out in protest.

* * *

Draco: Holy Mulch, I just realized how mean that would be. Pixelworker's nightmare - square tiles, hexagonal (_any_gonal, really) patterns on the floor.

...Come to think of it, I don't think Ransei has _anywhere_ with multiple squares in the same place at different altitudes. That extending vine bridge in Greenleaf doesn't let you walk on the area below. I must be thinking Final Fantasy Tactics. (That would be sweet to see, Pokémon Conquest sequel with the tactical element coming from Ivalice instead.)

Anyone recognize the nest description? Multiple floors, viewing windows, something running around in the big open area in the middle? The answer involves the number 8. Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast.

Naganadel  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Dragon Pulse  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Mood Maker

(horrible disregard of terrifying cliffhanger in favour of ramble b/c i'm evil liek that)


	28. Forsaken Lands: Oddities Abundant

Draco: Let me tell you, I kept trying to figure out what to call this place for ages.

Okay, this is where things get demanding. I'm gonna have to stop being so thorough. Sorry if you were liking my gameplay bits, they're gonna be missing a lot with this chapter.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: Oddities Abundant**

The gate having been opened horizontally rather than vertically, Gracia found herself diving downward through the tunnel between otherworlds, the Cosmog falling below her. As she tried to streamline herself, accelerating her descent, she was worried to find the Cosmog being wrapped in a light that seemed _dark_ against the myriad glow of the path around them.

She hadn't managed to close in on them any more before the other end appeared - a vibrant landscape had manifested outside the exit, with water directly below them into which the Cosmog fell with a splash... and sunk without a moment. Gracia took a deep breath and held her arms before her in proper diving posture, breaking the water with hardly a ripple more; she had to take a moment to right herself, and she looked around in terror before finding her Pokémon descending still towards the bottom.

This was a rather expansive water - sufficiently wide and deep to host the Sky Demon, if it were desperate enough to hide from an opponent on the shore (or an ensemble of Gyarados dressed up as the Sky Demon, if they were performing legends under the command of some idiot who thought Rekkūza was a lakewater Pokémon). They had changed as they had fallen; each's insubstantial stardust was reduced to an orb in the middle of a golden shell. The two were more than her armspan away from each other; Gracia dove deeper towards one, ignoring the sounds of the others hitting the water above her closed her grip on it as it made contact with the ground, and made to swim towards the other.

Only to find that she couldn't move at all.

Panic wrought her as she turned back to the one she'd grabbed; she couldn't move it. She couldn't even lift it. Her feet touched the ground, and she tried to lift it, her other hand going forward and her grip shifting to seize both sides. Still it refused to move, no matter how much effort she gave; her lungs were starting to grow tight as her capacity to hold her breath ran thin, but she didn't dare to release them until a set of claws circled her arm.

She turned to find Zoroark floating there; against her water-muffled protests, he started to drag her out of the water. One arm came up onto the shore, and Zoroark pulled his head above water before dragging Gracia to the surface; she took a deep breath as he helped her onto the shore, sputtered to get the water out of her face, and then turned around and took another deep breath before a hand circled her stomach.

"What are you doing?!" Ranmaru demanded.

"The Cosmog are still down there!" Gracia insisted, trying to wrestle his arm off of her. "I have to-!"

"You can't move them and you know it!" Ranmaru reprimanded. "Now hold back!"

As he released Gracia, Oichi was changing Type: Full's discs; the RKS slot closed, and Full's spikes turned deep blue before he leapt into the water - with a much more sizeable splash, but much more fluid movement as he descended. Everyone's attention was on the water as he dove down towards the small yellow blobs that Gracia had been struggling with.

The distorted figure of Full approached one of them... and remained there for a long moment - longer than Gracia could have held her breath. Then he started to return, and Gracia panicked when she realized he had no passenger; the artificial Pokémon surfaced, giving a cry of protest.

"What do you mean you can't lift them!?" Gracia yelled, fury born of terror wrought in her voice.

Full shook his head.

"They're not _sinking_?" Oichi murmured. "But then... why aren't they floating?"

Gracia growled angrily and made to dive again - and this time it was Lucario who grabbed her in mid-motion. He was still wrapped in his powerful change; he set the Nixtormer down and pushed her away from the water's edge before diving in himself, and Full turned and dove back down after him. In the interest of haste, Full pushed Lucario as he dove down, accelerating him; once they'd reached the bottom surface, the Aura Pokémon set his feet on the ground.

The transformed Pokémon indeed weren't sinking - not completely. They hovered above the bottom of the lake, barely ten centimetres off the ground. When Lucario made to set a paw atop one, it descended ahead of his touch; he didn't touch its surface until it touched the floor, and when his grip closed on it, he indeed found he couldn't move it. When he lifted his paw away, the Pokémon returned to its previous depth; then he made to close both paws on it from the sides, and the Pokémon shifted to remain equidistant between them until they both connected with it, whereupon it refused to move once more.

Lucario's eyes widened in realization; he released it and made to seize it from beneath, and discovered it floating higher to evade his touch. In this manner, he lifted it up above his head, and Full quickly moved to hold it with his brow. He remained at the lower surface as Lucario collected the other one; the Aura Pokémon came back and took both into his paws, and Full propelled him back to the water's surface.

Everyone (save Kotarō) breathed a sigh of relief; Lucario set the wayward Pokémon down on the shore and climbed out, his body's changes fading as Gracia knelt between them. "Cosmog!" Her hands connected with their upper surfaces, and she tried - and failed - to shake them. "Talk to me! Cosmog! _Cosmog!_"

Her expression changed abruptly, and her hands parted from them. "Cos..._moem_?"

Oichi blinked. "What?"

"It's... The Link is... different," Gracia murmured. "It's like... they're sleeping. But they're... still responding to me."

"Like Linking with an Abra," Kotarō observed. "They hear your orders, but are resting all the same."

Lucario knelt beside her, and she watched as he shifted one hand beneath one of the Cosmoem, causing it to raise in response. Curious, Gracia held out her hand to lift it herself, finding it floated just above her hand as though she were holding something weightless; she did the same to the other, and carefully stood up, turning to the others.

"So... where are we?"

Everyone turned around - without the fear of losing a teammate, they had time to take in their new destination. The Ranseans were standing on an expansive field - this otherworld seemed more versatile than any before it, more versatile even than any kingdom in Ransei, and the sun could be seen setting in the distance, moving just enough to tell the Warriors there was a day and a night in this place. The lake they stood at rested at the base of a ravine in the middle of the area - a snowy mountain was visible some distance in one direction, a floating rock could be seen in another, and a sizeable cave stood proud in a third. A small farmland and an environ similar to a park stood at angles on the opposite side of the ravine, and what seemed to be a _sky garden_ was floating above them.

"How very odd," Ranmaru mused. "This place looks almost like Ransei."

"All of Ransei at once, perhaps," Kotarō snarked.

A shuffling sound drew Okuni's attention. "Wait... that's not a beast."

Approaching them in haphazard steps was a Zigzagoon - but it was a very _strange_ Zigzagoon. Unlike the expected alternating brown-and-cream fur, this one was in black and white; the expected smooth mask-pattern upon its face was instead spiked into stars around each eye, and as it came to a halt before the crew of Warriors and Pokémon, its mouth hung open, tongue lolling out, as though anticipating a fight instead of fearing it.

"What's wrong with that thing?" Oichi murmured.

Gracia recognized its threatening movements and took a defensive stance; Gothitelle swung her hand forward, and a pulse of psychic power emerged around it. As the Zigzagoon made to approach them, Full stepped in its path - and everyone was surprised when the Zigzagoon _screeched_ at him, black soundwaves pulsing out around it and striking Full unpleasantly.

Then the Future Sight hit - and everyone started when the Zigzagoon didn't even react.

"It's a _Dark-type_?" Okuni yelped.

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere past Full; it slammed into their attacker forcefully, and it cried out in pain, tumbling back back until its momentum faded, unconscious.

Ranmaru set a hand on his chin. "Huh."

"But she."

Oichi's staff from fell her hand.

"It can't."

The healer fell to her knees.

"Love, hate, clouds."

She slumped to one side, and everyone's gaze went to her. Full stepped up to her and nudged her lightly with the back of his claws as the other Warriors and their Pokémon traded awkward glances.

Gracia was the one who broke the awkward silence. "...Maybe this would be a good place to make camp."

+x+x+x+

Black-and-white Zigzagoon weren't the only odd inhabitants in this foreign place. As the Ranseans made camp, started a fire, and dished out a meal over the course of the setting sun, the lake was visited by black-furred Rattata with mustaches, Ponyta with fluffy pink manes and tails, and a dark-feathered Farfetch'd carrying a sizeable leek over its wing like a soldier with a greatsword.

Oichi had been roused by the time the first new visitors had appeared; Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori called it an early night after the Rattata had visited, and Kotarō followed soon after when the Ponyta had appeared. Okuni, Ranmaru, and Gracia were still awake with Oichi as a pair of Corsola approached the water - pale white Corsola with spectral branches.

"None of this makes sense," the healer murmured.

"Lady Oichi, I don't think we're in Aurora anymore," Gracia murmured.

"But they're not _beasts_," Oichi murmured. "None of the Pokémon we've fought since we left Ransei have been anything even resembling Pokémon from our world, and the only time we've seen two different beasts in the same place, one _evolved_ from the other. Now there's... familiar Pokémon, but with _dye jobs_. If Gothitelle's attack hadn't whiffed on that Zigzagoon, I'd think there was someone here with a hundred boxes of fur dye. Why in Alpha's name are they different _types?_"

"An excellent question," Ranmaru observed. "Perhaps..." He shook his head. "No, never mind."

"What is it?" Okuni asked.

"...I wonder if these Pokémon may have... adapted to different environments," he mused. "Environments so far removed from where the species normally resides as to seem their complete opposite."

Gracia hummed. "But this place has so many different areas," she observed. "There's no way they would have-"

Ranmaru shook his head. "Not _this_ place," he insisted. "Perhaps... they had adapted themselves over time to different regions in our world. And they were brought here, unknowingly - in the same way as unwilling Warriors were brought to the beast's worlds from Ransei."

"But, then..." Okuni shook her head. "Why wouldn't they adapt back? With this place..."

"An adaptation like this wouldn't be a short-term matter," Ranmaru elaborated. "It would take numerous generations, or the intervention of a legendary Pokémon, to even begin to show changes of this scale. Once such changes have taken root, similar time or circumstances would be required to reverse them. So, if the Pokémon have adapted, and find themselves in this place - where exist both the habitats their kind have adapted to, and the habitats their kind once lived in - which do you suppose they would migrate to?"

Okuni's gaze fell. "You might have a point there..."

Oichi sighed. "If the Pokémon here are of species from our world - even with these differences - then they can't be anywhere near as powerful as the beasts." She raised her gaze. "We should split up in the morning - get a good view for what's all going on."

"I don't know." Gracia's gaze went to the Cosmoem, who were floating silently on either side of the entrance to her and Okuni's tent. "How are we gonna bring them anywhere?"

"They only stop moving if you corner them and make contact," Oichi observed. "If you enclose them in a space larger than they are, they should keep themselves centered within it - even when you move."

"You're saying I should carry them in a pack?" Gracia argued.

"Not much different than carrying them in a ball," Ranmaru observed.

"Did Motonari ever learn anything about that souvenir from Kalos?" Okuni asked, looking up to Oichi.

Oichi shook her head, although a small smile had appeared on her face. "Not that he's shared with us, yet."

* * *

Draco: Kingdoms where legendary Pokémon appear can have up to seven locations at once (and in Terrara, Illusio, and Nixtorm, the legendary Pokémon locations can **only** appear when all the others are there and sufficiently ranked). When I was making preparations, I was pleased to discover that having one of each battle location in this place was not super-unrealistic.

Anyways, regional variants. I am going to purport that _every_ regional variant in Alola _and_ Galar appears in this place. I do not have the patience to concoct gameplay details for 67* common Pokémon. I have chosen moves for all the Pokémon I intend to appear here and all of the common variants just to be safe, but that's it; I'm not gonna pick stats, and I definitely don't have the patience to pick three Abilities for everyone. I'm not gonna list the battle info for every Pokémon that appears in this place, and I'm not gonna give you the battle details for every move I assign them; I'm just gonna give you the important ones.  
*30 species with regional variants; Meowth has both Alolan and Galarian variants; I'd have to work out the common variants before I started working on regional variants; 6 Pokémon that evolve from Galarian variants.

**PRE-SUBMIT EDIT: **I was done writing the Forsaken Lands before the Sword and Shield Expansion Pass was announced. I've only included Galarian variants from the base game. **END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT**

Speaking of which, here's the cocoon of the stars.

Cosmoem  
-Range: 1  
-Move: Cosmic Power  
-Ability: Sturdy

Cosmic Power (Psychic)  
-Effect: 1-stage Defense boost to user


	29. Forsaken Lands: Familiar Strangers

Draco: I haven't played anything since I finished Shield because I'm just focusing on writing this. I think this will be the first time I've written a fanfic and submitted chapters on a schedule, to the end. I feel like way more badass than I should right now.

**NEW EDIT: **#TemptingFate. Looks like this didn't go up when I tried to submit it on Friday. #ScheduleSlip **END NEW EDIT**

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: Familiar Strangers**

When the sun rose, Ranmaru shared his hypothesis with the others over breakfast; then everyone split into groups. Mitsunari and Bisharp, Masanori and Krookodile, and Kiyomasa and Haxorus partied up (to the surprise of no one) and headed towards the floating rock; Kotarō and Zoroark were instructed to accompany Ranmaru and Lucario as they went to the park; and Oichi and Type: Full, Okuni and Volcarona, and Gracia and Gothitelle started up the ravine. The three parties agreed to rendezvous at the lake's edge by nightfall, and share what they'd found over the campfire.

Most of the ration packs had been left at their campsite, kept sealed and enclosed within their tents in the hopes that wild Pokémon wouldn't notice them and ravage them; but Oichi had brought the bag of Full's RKS discs as a precaution, and she'd dumped out her com-crystals and given the bag to Gracia - in which the Cosmoem were being carried.

As the ladies and Full reached the lowest of the waterfalls, they found a small dug-out gap in the face of the ravine, inside which the black-furred Rattata could be seen, sleeping. Oichi's eyes flickered purple, getting Gracia's attention. "What's the verdict?"

"Dark-types," Oichi replied. "But still Normal-types, too." She shook her head. "But they were so awake last night, and now they're asleep. Rattata aren't nocturnal."

"_Normal-type_ Rattata aren't nocturnal," Okuni corrected. "Maybe one led to the other."

"Maybe..."

Further up the cliffs, they found a pair of the dark-feathered Farfetch'd in a spar; the bird Pokémon were crossing their oversized leeks like swords, no different than the Farfetch'd that Oichi knew of - although the size of these weapons meant skilled swings were dismissed in favour of tactical movement on their sparring ground.

Okuni hummed. "So, Flying and...?"

"Not Flying," Oichi corrected. "Fighting-types."

"What?" Okuni turned to her. "What kind of bird Pokémon isn't Flying-type?"

"Um, guys," Gracia interrupted, "we got their attention!"

The Farfetch'd had indeed noticed them, and had their leeks braced over their shoulders as they started to waddle towards them. Gothitelle swung her hand down with a pulse, and Full - who was still running as Water-type after yesterday's incident with the lake - charged towards the Farfetch'd in return; the birds slammed their leeks down, narrowly missing Full as he passed them - and striking the ground where he had been with crushing force, dirt and grass kicked up from the impact.

Volcarona promptly leapt between them, twisting into a Fiery Dance that bombarded them both; no sooner had the last flames faded than Gothitelle's Future Sight connected, sending the Farfetch'd reeling away. Full brought down claws trailing bubbles on one Farfetch'd, knocking it out; the other managed to land a Rock Smash on his side, but he only struck it in retaliation to finish it off as well.

The top of the ravine, from where the water sprung, contained both familiar and unfamiliar Pokémon. A few Exeggcute - which seemed to have nothing wrong with them - were gathered on the first ledge down, sprayed lightly by the waterfall. Around the water's edge were several towering figures with branches; after a moment, the ladies realized they were _Exeggutor_, with elongated necks and an extra head on their tails.

"What in Distortion is up with those Pokémon," Gracia murmured, a smile on her face.

"They're Dragons," Oichi observed.

"Those are not Dragons," Okuni protested, sounding disgusted. "Those are an _insult_ to Dragons."

Oichi struck her shoulder in reprimand. "Shut up," she reprimanded. "They're Grass-and-Dragon-types. And they don't seem hostile like the Farfetch'd were, don't aggravate them."

Gracia hummed. "Yeah," she agreed, "I don't wanna be clotheslined by a Dragon at the top of a huge ravine, either."

"Thank you, Gracia."

+x+x+x+

Kotarō was never the most joyful of Warlords, but he was verifiably in an unpleasant mood as he followed Ranmaru towards the park-like area. Zoroark had no obvious hostility towards Lucario, but the Yakshan was growling to himself the whole trip; as they drew near, he asked, "Why am I left to follow _you_ of all people."

"Because you're untrustworthy, and I have the type advantage," Ranmaru replied bluntly.

"Ha..." Kotarō smirked briefly. "Oichi demanded a vow of loyalty out of me. Such overcaution is needless."

Ranmaru shook his head. "The only purpose of asking that vow was to make sure you wouldn't be able to pull anything _twice_," he reprimanded. "I have no faith that you would think Distortion a excessive price to pay for bringing us harm, after what you did to Yaksha."

"And what exactly did I do to Yaksha that earned such distrust?" Kotarō argued.

"Don't be dense," Ranmaru reprimanded. "You drove the entire kingdom into such despair as to reduce its inhabitants to heartlessness."

Kotarō grinned. "I fail to see why I should be frowned upon for such acts by the junior Warlord to the Fool of Dragnor."

The junior Warlord of Dragnor whirled around; once again did Kotarō make to defend his body and find his weapons struck instead. The spike on one of Ranmaru's bracelets knocked the claws off his right hand, and then the other struck them off his left; Zoroark made to defend his Warlord and found Lucario standing in his way, holding an Aura Sphere between his hands as Ranmaru raised his right-arm spike to Kotarō's neck.

"Never. Insult. Lord Nobunaga. In front of me."

"You and his other followers marched into Yaksha without a care," Kotarō retorted. "He made me swear the same vow his sister did, and never instructed me to unmake them."

Ranmaru brought his blade closer, the edge nicking Kotarō's chin lightly and drawing blood as it drew nearer to the Yakshan's throat. "Lord Nobunaga knew not that it was _possible_ to unmake an Umbra Heart. He gave you no orders to change anything because he thought it was _irreversible_ \- and that any provocation would only drive them all to aggression. An aggression for which all of Ransei would suffer."

A cry from nearby drew both of their attention; three figures of bluish-grey were approaching that Ranmaru realized after a moment were _Meowth_. Surprised, he pulled his spike away from Kotarō, turning his attention on the Pokémon approaching them, and Lucario turned around, hurling his Aura Sphere at the center one. It was struck, tumbled backwards, and slumped unconscious; Kotarō knelt to reclaim his claws as Zoroark charged forward, and the two remaining Meowth leapt at his shoulders, Biting them unpleasantly before Zoroark managed to unleash a Night Daze.

"More Dark-types," the Yakshan mused. "Glorious."

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at another of the Meowth before it could attack again; Zoroark managed to circle around the remainder, and another Night Daze was sufficient to knock it out - type disadvantage he might have had, but he was plenty strong enough to handle a single opponent.

With the attackers defeated, the Warriors and their Pokémon started into the park, finding it surprisingly familiar - Ranmaru could find no appreciable differences between this park and a Ransean one, with vibrant boxes forming an impromptu obstacle course and a gentle slope for small Pokémon to slide down. A few of the fluffy-maned Ponyta leapt atop the boxes, and their motive for fleeing became abruptly clear when a pair of black-and-white Zigzagoon leapt atop as well, followed quickly by a Linoone of similar hues.

Zoroark positioned himself to intercept the Pontya; they reared as they drew close, and a Confusion from each whiffed on the Illusion Fox Pokémon before he lunged between them. Against these ones, his Night Daze struck far more fiercely; the Ponyta cried out, slumping to the ground, and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at one Zigzagoon only for the other's haphazard approach to bring it into the path.

"Leave the Linoone," Kotarō demanded.

Ranmaru rounded on him. "Excuse me?"

"The Guzzlord refused to accept my Link," Kotarō stated, "and you claimed the Poipole had done the same to you. But these altered Pokémon may be of different disposition - and a Dark-type is sure to hear my appeal if they are."

With a growl, Lucario waited for the remaining Zigzagoon to come to a stop before Zoroark, Snarling at him; then his next Aura Sphere flew, slamming into the attacker from the side. As it collapsed, the Linoone lunged down the obstacle course; its Night Slash lashed across Zoroark's side, and Kotarō promptly thrust an open hand towards it.

A glow manifested between the two; the Linoone turned to him, flinching, but it did remain still as the Yakshan slowly approached it. To Ranmaru's amazement, the light did indeed grow brighter, remaining equidistant but slowly growing until it seemed to join Kotarō's palm and the Linoone's forehead.

A moment's silence; then Kotarō closed his fingers into a fist, and the glow washed over the Linoone as it gave a low cry.

"Ha..." The Yakshan grinned. "What a wonder."

"A wonder indeed," Ranmaru observed. "Then they truly aren't-"

He was cut off by a murmuring cry; the two Warriors looked up to see a green-and-yellow Grimer emerging from between the boxes, and Kotarō groaned as he got to his feet. "No time to appreciate a new Link," he grumbled.

+x+x+x+

The trio of troublemakers arrived at the floating rock without much trouble, and the suspended crystalline stepping stones that always surrounded these places in Ransei turned out to be here as well.

Once they had reached the main body of the area, they found their odd Pokémon - the spectral-branched Corsola that Oichi had reported were on the easy side. Grey-brown Meowth with black coins and what looked like berserker beards; swinging Metal Claws and enduring most of Haxorus' Outrage told Kiyomasa these things were Steel-type. Raichu with more contrasting fur patches that floated in the air from atop the tips of their tails like surfboards; a blast of Psychic whiffed on Krookodile before it managed to Crunch the main length of its tail, flinging the flying Mouse Pokémon over the approaching Masanori. Black-skinned Marowak with bones alight with flame; a spectral outburst ripped up around Bisharp when he was struck before he managed to strike it down with a Night Slash at Mitsunari's behest.

"Weird," Mitsunari muttered, looking over the area. Pichu, Pikachu, and Cubone could be seen wandering about - but these ones didn't seem any different in the way their evolved counterparts were. "Why is it just the grown ones?"

"It wasn't just the grown ones," Masanori pointed out. "The Meowth were different, too."

"You know what I mean," Mitsunari muttered.

"No, that's a good point," Kiyomasa insisted. "I wonder if, like... the way they got changed like this affects the different species differently."

Masanori turned to him. "Huh?"

"Like, Ranmaru said they might've changed because they were from weird environments, right?" Kiyomasa insisted. "What if the environments didn't affect, say, the Pikachu much, but there was enough differences that when it evolved into Raichu, it evolved into a _different_ Raichu to survive better?"

"I guess that's not impossible," Mitsunari admitted. "The Raichu seem friendlier than the ones in Ransei." He shook his head. "But then, why would they keep evolving the same way in this place?"

"Well, the ones who got here different would've raised the little ones, right?" Masanori pointed out. "Maybe it's a family thing. Like, they look up to the different ones, so they evolve to be like the different ones. If their Eggs were raised by normal ones, maybe the little ones would evolve to be like the normal ones."

Mitsunari shook his head. "A Pokémon can't _choose_ what it evolves into," he reprimanded. "I mean, like, branched evolutions that need different stones could gravitate towards one or the other, but if it's only got a single evolutionary path, it can't change where that path goes."

"On _purpose_," Kiyomasa insisted. "It couldn't be a deliberate thing, but the way they're raised might influence their evolution just like the environment would."

+x+x+x+

The sun had touched the horizon by the time the trio arrived back at the lakeside, and shared their findings.

"_Two different kinds_ of different Meowth?" Oichi murmured. "Because this place wasn't giving us enough trouble."

Gracia eyed Kotarō's newly-Linked Linoone warily. "You're... not taking that thing back to Ransei," she warned.

"And why is that?" the Yakshan demanded.

"Because it was altered that way to adapt to a particular environment," Ranmaru insisted, "and was fortunate enough to have found another environment that could safely host it. If you were to bring it back to Ransei, and were separated from it for any significant amount of time, there's no telling what sort of havoc it might wreak in the long term."

A smirk rose on Kotarō's face.

"Besides which," Ranmaru added without looking up from his meal, "if it happens that Ransei would be unsuited to host it, and you were separated from it for any significant amount of time - such as marching into battle with Zoroark instead - the poor Pokémon would die, and that would have unpleasant resonation on your Link."

Kotarō's face fell.

Okuni's gaze drifted up towards the sky garden. "So, you guys got any idea how we could possibly visit that one?" she asked.

"An apt question," Oichi admitted. "Usually, when we go to visit a sky garden, we take a blimp. Sometimes they have a little bit of drift that lets us get to them from, like, the castle's top floor or something." She paused, raising her gaze. "You think it might come close enough to the ravine for that?"

"Maybe," Gracia admitted. "The one in Nixtorm comes pretty close to the mountain sometimes."

* * *

Draco: I'm just taking a look at Ransei's map here, and, the way the region puzzles together, there's not really any way to add anything in there. Obviously, if Conquest had been a Generation VI game, the exact kingdom borders would have been different, and there would have been a Fairy-type kingdom. But I personally believe that if lightning were to strike twice and Conquest were to be revisited or remade past Generation VI, and they wanted to include a Fairy-type kingdom, they would add an islet of some sort, maybe off the northeastern coast.

Or Aurora would be made into the Fairy-type kingdom, and there just wouldn't be a Normal-type kingdom. I mean, there are only three Warriors who 'specialize' in the Normal type.  
-Oichi [listed specialty: Normal/Dragon], whose perfect Link is Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff, who was made a Normal/Fairy-type (and we discussed this, that wouldn't stop her from getting curb-stomped if she tried to make a one-woman march on Dragnor).  
-Muneshige [listed specialty: Flying/Normal], who only has that because he doesn't get a pure Flying-type because the only pure Flying-type in Generation V was Tornadus.  
-The player [listed specialty: Normal], whose perfect Link is Eevee/Eeveelutions, which really doesn't count. And one of the Eeveelutions is a Fairy-type, so a Warrior with an Eevee being in charge of the Fairy-type kingdom wouldn't be any more out of place than the Psychic-type specialist with a Galarian Ponyta and a Hattrem being made a Fairy-type Gym Leader.


	30. Forsaken Lands: Stunning Encounters

Draco: #LateToTheRealization, I just realized that that are exactly enough Pokémon that evolve from Galarian Forms to compose a whole party. How well is the coverage on that? Obstagoon is Dark/Normal, Perrserker is Steel, Cursola is Ghost, Sirfetch'd is Fighting, Mr. Rime is Ice/Psychic, Runerigus is Ghost/Ground.

That's... actually not any less a variety than Red's team on Mt. Silver. Huh.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: Stunning Encounters**

"Vegetables and berries. We'll not want for food, at least, while we're here."

The second day of searching had seen the same parties as the first. Oichi, Gracia, and Okuni had intended to investigate the snowy mountain; Mitsunari, Masanori, and Kiyomasa had departed for the cave; and Ranmaru and Kotarō had arrived at the farmland.

Ranmaru's comment as he got a good look at the produce earned a scoff from the Yakshan. "Let's hope the others are so fortunate."

"This farmland is expansive enough," Ranmaru observed. "With caution, we're unlike to deplete it."

"On our own, perhaps," Kotarō argued. "But I have no faith that the Pokémon of this place do not feast on it themselves - and wilds do not have nearly so much self-control."

He turned his attention towards a small building nearby; Ranmaru followed his gaze and found a small group of Diglett - darker-skinned Diglett than he was familiar with, each possessing three tufts of... well, they looked like hair, but they had the sheen of gold. "Oh?"

"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Whatever could provoke such simple and uncanny Pokémon as this to adaptation?"

The Diglett had taken notice of them; they dropped into the ground, and then reappeared around Zoroark, flinging wet dirt at him from all angles; Zoroark took the blows with a growl before releasing a Night Daze around himself, striking them each. Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at one, and it recoiled with the potency of a super-effective hit; the four of them retreated underground, and then only three rose up.

Kotarō scoffed in realization; the metallic sheen of its hairs told him exactly _why_ Lucario's attack was super-effective. "Is every Pokémon that adapted to its environs Dark or Steel?"

It didn't take long for them to finish off the remaining Diglett; as they did so, a low cry drew their attention upward. A Weezing was floating atop the structure - but this was a very _odd_ Weezing, with solidified clouds around its mouths like human facial hair and large structures atop its body that looked like smokestacks. It descended in short order, and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at it; he wasn't expecting it to deal great damage so much as incapacitate it so Zoroark could close in, but both Warrior and Pokémon were surprised when it barely _moved_ in response to the strike, despite it dealing damage.

Zoroark charged forward, releasing another Night Daze to strike it - but this one was similarly not very effective. Then the Weezing opened its mouths - and a stream of pinkish smoke emerged from them, washing over Zoroark with a potency that Poison wouldn't have given him. Lucario was drawing near when the steam struck him as well; Poison would have done nothing to a Steel-type, but this struck him full-force, neither lessened by his iron or strengthened against his aura.

"It's a Fairy?!" Ranmaru exclaimed.

With the type disadvantage, it took much longer to knock this one out; once it had fainted, Kotarō shook his head. "He who dares to tempt fate will by fate be punished," he muttered. "Give me darkness and metal any day."

Footsteps from nearer drew Ranmaru's attention; the Linoone that Kotarō had linked with was drawing closer, and as he watched the Yakshan fell to one knee. "What are you doing?"

"As you said," Kotarō observed, "I can't bring him back to Ransei without risking his suffering."

He raised his hand towards Linoone, and that glow of their Link appeared between them. Then, to Ranmaru's shock, he poised his fingertips upon the light - and _darkness_ stretched across the Link, prompting the Pokémon to growl angrily until his fingers converged - and the light vanished.

"What did you just-?!"

The Linoone turned to Ranmaru and charged forward - and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at it before it could get close enough. The attack struck it and left it tumbling, and Kotarō turned to him with a smirk.

"The Link is ended," he proclaimed in response to Ranmaru's unfinished question. "You did not expect me to leave him behind with it still active, did you?"

"You forced the Link to end!?" Ranmaru exclaimed.

Kotarō shook his head. "What have you done when the Pokémon you Linked with were not to your liking?"

Ranmaru glared at him. "I gave them no command to follow me, and let them remain in the wild - where they can live safely! The Link dissipates on its own, if such distance is put between Warrior and Pokémon so soon after its forging!"

"Such incaution," Kotarō retorted with a grin. "And what would-"

"_Quomodo audes?! Nihil opus est adducere illa quae fit!_"

The grin vanished from Kotarō's face, and the glare from Ranmaru's, as the female voice roared at them; the two Warriors and their Pokémon turned to see someone stepping out from around the structure. She was dressed in a hakama, and long-sleeved tunic, with black hair flowing down her back; a sword rested on one hip, yet she held a pitchfork in her grip, implying she had been about to start some sort of work when she'd overheard them.

Standing at her side was a bipedal black-and-white figure - one that looked _ominously_ similar to the unconscious Linoone between them - with its arms crossed before it and its maw open, revealing a threatening array of fangs.

"Ha?"

"What...?"

+x+x+x+

"Now this is getting weird."

Masanori's muttering was reflected in Mitsunari and Kiyomasa's expression. The Pokémon they'd fought in the cave so far hadn't been quite as unusual as what they'd fought at the floating rock; Yamask that were carrying stone tablets instead of masks, and Dugtrio that seemed to have _wigs_. But now they were facing something very unusual - something that appeared to be a pair of white _lips_ sticking out of the gravel in the lower reach of the cave.

"Uh... Hm." Mitsunari narrowed his gaze. "What is that?"

"A... Stunfisk, maybe?" Kiyomasa guessed. "But it's acting weird."

"Not that there's a lot of mud in this place," Mitsunari admitted, "maybe that's where the adaptation comes in."

"But they usually don't leave any part exposed like that," Kiyomasa argued. "There's no reason for its mouth to be sticking out."

"Maybe it's just a rookie," Masanori suggested. "Krookodile, give it a kiss!"

Haxorus sighed, and Bisharp shook his head in exasperation as Krookodile gave a cheerful roar, stepping up to the buried Pokémon. He took a careful position to make sure he wasn't gonna miss it by a moment before leaning back and lunging forward, his jaw Crunching on the lips sticking out of the ground.

Masanori yelped when a ring of spikes lifted out of the gravel around them.

Krookodile had no chance to release the bite before the spikes slammed over it; he shot up and roared in pain, muffled by his mouth being trapped closed. Bisharp and Haxorus charged forward as he started to thrash in place, grabbing the Stunfisk and trying to force it off; dragon mist blazed around Haxorus as he slammed the blades on his head into the Stunfisk, causing its grip to slack, then brought his tail around and struck it again, throwing it to the ground - and leaving Krookodile spinning at the same time. Despite serving that purpose, the Outrage didn't deal much in terms of damage; Bisharp promptly twisted into a Night Slash, striking the Stunfisk and slamming it atop the gravel instead of under it.

Kiyomasa hissed a sigh of relief when the Stunfisk's eyes closed, unconscious. "What the hell was that about?"

"I dunno!" Masanori yelled. "Jeez. That thing looks like an Ursaring trap."

Mitsunari shook his head. "Don't just attack it blindly next time."

A little deeper into the cave, they found something they had a little more advantage against - Geodude and Graveler that crackled with electricity, bearing eyebrows and (in the Graveler's case) sideburns. Krookodile managed to draw their aggression; a few Thunder Shocks fizzled ineffectively against the Ground-type while Bisharp swept the three Geodude, knocking them out quickly from behind. The Graveler took a little more effort, but was also more of a close-range fighter; Krookodile took a Thunder Punch tauntingly, Crunched the offending arm, and then stepped out of the way for Haxorus to bombard it with Outrage.

As his tail sweep finished it off, he was surprised to find its eyebrows and sideburns missing.

"Okay, what?" Mitsunari muttered.

Kiyomasa stepped forward, finding a black powder scattered on the floor beside Haxorus; he knelt down and ran his fingers over it, discovering it had a metallic feel to it. "Iron dust," he muttered. "They must be magnetic."

"Jeez," Masanori sighed. Turning to Mitsunari. "Good thing they don't know how to use it, huh?"

"Yeah," Mitsunari agreed. "If they had enough power over their magnetism, they could send things flying at ridiculous speeds. Really hope we don't run into a Golem that evolved from one of those Graveler."

Masanori pointed at Bisharp. "I was thinking more that your Steel-type would get his ass kicked."

"_Quid tu hic agis?_"

The voice from ahead drew everyone's attention forward. A pair of women and a pair of Pokémon were standing there; one woman was wearing heavy armour and carrying a naginata, her hair drawn back in a short ponytail, while the other was wearing a short red dress and holding a rapier towards them. The Pokémon were much harder to identify; one that looked like some relative of Mr. Mime, with a face on its belly and a cane of ice, and another that looked like it had evolved from the Steel-type Meowth, with its coin set into a natural helmet and armour on its arms and legs.

The naginata-bearer set a hand on her companion's free arm. "_Ne lusus. Sunt iusti pueri._"

"I beg your what?" Mitsunari murmured.

+x+x+x+

"Maybe me coming to this place wasn't as good an idea as I thought it was."

Okuni turned at Gracia's murmur. They and Oichi hadn't encountered much in the way of Pokémon on their way up the snowy mountain; the paths were a bit narrow for anyone to get into a battle, and the wild Pokémon didn't seem to want a fight upon them any more than the Warriors did. The snow was gently falling as they climbed - as favourable weather as they could hope to get in a place like this."

"What do you mean?" the wanderer asked. "It's not like you're going to be at a disadvantage against ice-types."

"It's not that," Gracia insisted. "I just..."

Oichi sighed. "Feeling a little homesick?"

Gracia's gaze fell. "...Pretty much."

"I'm sorry," Oichi pleaded. "Maybe _we_ should've gone to the cave instead."

"No, it's fine," Gracia insisted. "I'm the one who suggested we come here. It's totally my fault."

Okuni shook her head. "We should've known how you'd feel," she admitted. "You don't need to take all the blame for-"

She cut herself off as they found themselves on a wide-open ridge... because all three of them, plus Volcarona and Gothitelle, gave squeals of admiration. A group of the most adorable Pokémon were standing there - snowy-white Vulpix and Darumaka, icy blue Sandshrew, and a pair of Mime Jr. that seemed to be tap-dancing - and it seemed that they weren't even hostile to each other, merely moving about as amicable wild Pokémon tended to.

Type: Full winced in displeasure as the girls stepped forward. "Oh my gosh they're so cute!" Gracia yelped.

The Pokémon turned towards them as Okuni knelt down. "Now I'm really mad we can't bring them back to Ransei with us."

Oichi's eyes had turned purple as she looked over the group. "Jeez, I think these guys would fit into Nixtorm just fine. Ice-type Vulpix, Ice-and-Steel Sandshrew, Ice-type Darumaka, Pssss..." She trailed out, her head angling to the side. "Well, the Mime Jr. aren't any different, I guess that's what Masanori was talking about. But their acting like street performers."

"Are you sure we can't bring these guys back with us?" Okuni asked.

"Well, I mean, every place has its own ecosystem," Oichi recalled. "We can't just introduce new species - or even knew _versions_ of species - without knowing for sure how they're gonna..."

"But that's not a problem," Gracia argued. "There's only eight of us here! Bringing eight Pokémon back as Link partners wouldn't-"

A howl from nearby drew everyone's attention; on a higher ridge from where the Warriors were standing were several more evolved Pokémon that were a bit harder to make out before they descended. A pale blue Ninetales leapt down first, prompting the snowy Vulpix to lead the dash away; as the Sandshrew retreated as well, a steely-blue Sandslash whose spikes looked like inverted icicles descended, and then a white Darmanitan with a massive snowball atop its head spurred the Darumaka to flee. The Mime Jr kept their tap-dancing up until a Mr. Mime hopped down, with mitten-like hands and solid-looking shoes and a crystal resting upon its chest.

Okuni rose up again, brushing off her dress. "Aaand that's why you don't try to play with wild baby Kangaskhan."

"Why do the cute ones never evolve into something that stays cute," Gracia pouted.

"Ice-and-Fairy Ninetales," Oichi warned. "The Mr. Mime's Ice-and-Psychic. Full!"

Full charged forward as Gothitelle swung her arm down for a pulse; they'd changed out his RKS disc for the Fire-type one when they'd decided to head to the snowy mountain, and it paid off when the Ninetales fired an Ice Beam at him... that he ran straight through. As he raised his claws, fire burned in the air around them; the Sandslash barely managed to connect with a less-than-effective Iron Head before he brought them down, the flames striking ferocious and throwing the foe aside.

The Darmanitan pounded its fists together, and a Blizzard roared at Full while the Mr. Mime began to tap-dance; the crystal on its chest started to glow, and a drier ice started to gather around Full's legs. The Ninetales was about to join in with another Ice Beam when Gothitelle's Future Sight hit all three Pokémon; their attacks were thrown off, giving Volcarona the opportunity to leap into the center of the group and twist into a Fiery Dance.

The Mr. Mime collapsed quickly from the onslaught; the Ninetales and Darmanitan managed to withstand it, and Volcarona quickly found herself on the receiving end of an Ice Beam before she had the chance to evade. Full quickly raked his blazing claws down the Darmanitan before it had the chance to follow through, searing it away, and Volcarona leapt over the Ninetales and landed behind it before dancing again, finishing it off with the second bombardment of flames.

Okuni sighed in relief as the Fox Pokémon collapsed. "The evolved ones aren't any _less_ cute," she reprimanded Gracia. "They're just harder to approach."

"_That_'s what you're hung up about?" Gracia reprimanded.

"We're still not Linking with anyone to bring them back to Ransei," Oichi interrupted.

The other two turned to her. "Oh, come on, Lady Oichi!" they protested in unison.

Oichi giggled at their unison. "After all the trouble everyone had with the beasts-"

"_Manete donec veniamus ad vos!_"

The yell from nearby had everyone's attention; three figures had approached from the path further up the snowy mountain, accompanied by three Pokémon. One was a man with a claymore in his grip, and at his side was what looked like a white-feathered Farfetch'd relative... holding a towering leek with a sharp edge and a plate-like tuft of leaves. Another was a man with a sizeable shield; beside him was a spectral figure that looked like a reef... emerging from what looked like the bottom half of one of the white Corsola that Oichi had seen. The last was a woman with a crossbow; towering behind her was what almost looked like a Cofagrigus, but was composed of what seemed to be clay tablets, covered in patterns.

The woman turned her crossbow towards the three Ranseans; Okuni and Gracia took defensive stances, but Oichi was left staring at the three newcomers.

"You're... Warriors?"

* * *

Draco: You guys didn't think I was gonna have everyone bring their weapons and have Warrior combat limited to crossing swords with the Kartana a couple times, did you?


	31. Forsaken Lands: Unknown Warriors

Draco: Little bit of trivia for you guys. I seriously considered trying to have the Warriors in the Forsaken Lands speaking in **Yordan**. Er... as in, the runic language of Yorda (and her mother) from _ICO_. Which is Japanese that has been romanized and _reversed_, and then either (if I wanted to be #PaintingTheMedium because this is a written work) had about at third of its characters removed, most of them vowels, and been randomly spaced, or (if I gave my readers priority) worked out audibly and then typed phonetically so that you guys can read it properly. Like, for example, _Goodbye_ in Yordan is spelled ARN OYS and pronounced _aranoies_, which is _sayonara_ reversed and altered.

Still haven't figured out if _nonomori_ follows the same rules or they pulled that one out of thin air because they just wanted something a little more flowery for _You Were There_.

I didn't cop out because of how much work it was gonna be. I copped out because, unlike _ICO_, I'm not gonna be providing translations*. The language isn't important. The language **barrier** \- the fact that the Ranseans don't understand them - is the important part. But if you guys wanna know what the Warriors are saying, there's nothing stopping you from translating it yourselves (and you can PM me for confirmation). I can't ask you guys to try and translate **Yordan** _manually_. That would just be **cruel**. So instead, I took a language that is legally 'dead', and available on any online translator. I'm not gonna say which.

*If you've only played the original North American PS2 release, I pity you very much for your misfortune and strongly suggest you get the PS3 remaster.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: Unknown Warriors**

"_Dixi prope maneat._"

The words of the woman with the crossbow were accompanied by a beckoning motion, prompting Oichi to realize she was gradually falling a bit behind; she quickly closed the distance, Okuni and Gracia doing the same. The healer had insisted her companions not try to fight the Warriors they'd met on the snowy mountain; after some conversation in their language, they seemed to have decided to take the girls with them. The procession had the escorts at the fore, then the Ranseans, their Pokémon, and those of their escorts.

As they drew closer to the ravine, it became clear their trajectory would take them past it; in doing so, another pair of women with unfamiliar Pokémon approached... leading Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, Masanori, Bisharp, Haxorus, and Krookodile. The two parties intersected; as the escorts conversed, Oichi turned to the troublemakers and found Masanori looking heavily bruised. "What happened to you?"

"He tried to attack the one with the naginata," Mitsunari snarked, "what do you think happened to him?"

Okuni shook her head. "You didn't tell him to come quietly?"

"We did," Kiyomasa insisted. "But he didn't listen."

Gracia scoffed. "Not very clever," she told Masanori.

"Shud ub," Masanori muttered.

"_Per veni nunc_," the shield-bearer instructed, beckoning for them to follow again - and the procession resumed.

The sun was coming down by the time they neared their destination - Oichi quickly realized that deciding not to aggravate the towering Exeggutor atop the ravine meant she had failed to properly observe this place from a high vantage point, because there was a _castle_ sitting behind the ravine, surrounded by rock. Another Warrior was approaching the castle ahead of them - and she was escorting Ranmaru and Kotarō, her Pokémon keeping an eye on Lucario and Zoroark.

The entourage's approach drew her attention; she looked relieved to see the other Warriors, and as they drew near the man with the claymore approached her. "_Esne bene?_"

"_Bene sum,_" the woman replied assuringly. "_Sed hoc est quod fecit territis ostentat._" She beckoned to Kotarō with her katana.

"What did you do?" Oichi demanded.

"You said I couldn't bring my new Link back to Ransei," Kotarō retorted, "so I released him from it."

The woman with the rapier sheathed her weapon with a smirk. "_Tibi vibretur missile furca iterum?_"

That got a blush from Ranmaru's escort. "_T-__Tace._" Her tone made it hard for Oichi to believe she'd said anything that wasn't along the lines of "Shut up."

Ranmaru shook his head. "Why are there Warriors in this place?" he wondered.

"Aaand now you don't get to mock me about the Dark-type Zigzagoon," Oichi insisted.

The woman with the naginata cleared her throat audibly, getting their attention. "_Per veni nunc_," she insisted, beckoning for the Ranseans to follow them inside.

As they stepped in, everyone came to an abrupt halt. It was one thing to have environment analogous to the places in Ransei where wild Pokémon gathered - it was another entirely to have this place, which hadn't seemed terribly familiar from the exterior but was unmistakeable from the inside.

"This is a Ransean castle," Okuni exclaimed.

"More than that," Gracia insisted. "It looks like the one from the Guzzlord's world."

Kotarō glanced around. "This layout... you're right. What in Distortion...?"

With a sigh, the woman with the katana sheathed her sword. "_Ibo ut Nagamasa Dominus_," she told the others. Then, turning to her Pokémon; "_Sustinete hic et vigilate eos._" As her Link nodded, she started off, leaving the other Warriors to turn their attention on the Ranseans.

Oichi took a deep breath, hoping to try and figure out how to communicate with these Warriors. "Um... You guys have any ideas on how to-?"

"Nothing," Ranmaru insisted.

"You could... try charades," Gracia suggested warily.

"That leaves way too much room for misinterpretation," Okuni observed, "and with the language barrier there's no way to confirm things."

"What about drawing pictures?" Gracia asked.

Ranmaru hummed. "That... could work. If we're careful..."

"Excuse me," Oichi prompted, drawing the Warriors' attention. "Um..." Hooking her staff in the crook of her arm, she raised a hand before her and poised the other like she was holding a pen, making a scribbling motion.

The woman with the crossbow nodded. "_Hic opperiri._"

She departed quickly, coming back in short order with a large stack of paper and a few pens. Oichi accepted them gratefully, making a short bow with a muttering of "Thank you." The floor in this entrance hall was carpeted; the shield-bearer set his battle plate down to serve as a writing surface, and Oichi knelt down, set a sheet against it, and grabbed one of the pens.

Okuni stopped her. "With respect, Lady Oichi," she prompted, "I'm not a hundred percent sure you can draw well enough to make that work."

"...Fine, then," Oichi muttered, not totally appreciating Okuni's judgement but not disagreeing either. She handed Okuni the pen. "See if you can ask them what they plan to do to us."

With a nod, Okuni started drawing; she wasn't being super-detailed, but when she was finished, the figure that she had drawn was recognizably herself. She surrounded it with question marks and handed it to the woman with the naginata.

The Warriors all looked over the drawing before turning to her with expressions of confusion.

"It doesn't matter how well you draw if you're not making your point clear," Gracia reprimanded. "Like..."

She reached up and grabbed the drawing back, picking up another pen and drawing arrows going through the question marks. At the end of one, she drew a generic humanoid figure holding a parasol behind the bars of a cage; at another, two such figures had swords crossed; at a third, the figure with the parasol was walking out a door. After a moment, she glanced at Oichi, who nodded warily; then, at the end of a fourth arrow, she drew the figure with the parasol having its head cut off with an axe.

As she handed the drawing to the Warriors again, Oichi turned to Kotarō. "If they try to execute us, you have my permission to get violent."

"Ha..."

The Warriors recoiled at the image; the woman with the rapier knelt and seized a pen before setting the drawing down. Oichi breathed a sigh of relief when she drew an X over the beheaded figure, then scribbled over it furiously.

"Don't get my hopes up like that," Kotarō reprimanded.

Arrows were drawn to point the cage, crossed-swords, and departure to the same point; then the Warrior drew a shape like a classic crown, as one might use to denote king or queen on a two-dimensional chess board.

"They answer to a Warlord," Gracia realized. "They're waiting for his judgement.

Okuni glanced up at the Warriors for a moment. "Not quite Ransean, then," she mused. "You're only supposed to defend a castle with six Warriors."

"This world seems to end without room for any other kingdoms," Ranmaru argued, "I don't think Warrior's honour is a priority."

"Fair."

After a moment, the shield's owner picked up another sheet of paper and took the pen from the naginata carrier. He drew a few quick shapes that Oichi realized were her staff, Okuni's parasol, Mitsunari's fan, Masanori's kanabo, and Kiyomasa's scythe-spear. Then he drew a vague twisting shape, upon which he drew what were more recognizably a mountain and cave, and what might have been a floating rock. He encircled the weapons and drew an arrow pointing them to the area he'd drawn before writing a question mark over the arrow.

"He's asking how we got here," Ranmaru observed as the Warrior turned the image towards them.

Oichi turned to Okuni. "Draw the gate."

Okuni moved the paper towards herself, drawing two nested circles and joining them with a rounded grid before having the grid lines grow jagged as they extended past the outermost ring; then she drew an arrow pointing the gate towards the weapons.

The Warriors regarded the image for a moment and started.

"They recognize it?" Ranmaru realized.

Footsteps from nearby drew everyone's attention; the Warrior with the katana had returned, and following her was a man dressed in a long jacket of deep red, wearing a headband. On the fore of the headband was a strange shape; it looked like someone had tried to give a stylized sun the arc of a crescent moon. On seeing the Ranseans standing there, he started; Oichi, Okuni, and Gracia got to their feet as he turned to the Warrior who had fetched him. "_Vos sunt non ludens loqui._"

"_Nagamasa Dominus!_" The man with the claymore seized the drawing and approached the newcomer - who Oichi suspected was the Warlord. "_Nos sunt communicando cum imaginibus._"

He handed the the Warlord the image; the Warlord regarded it for a moment and gasped. "_P__er Caecos Unus..._"

Oichi cleared her throat audibly to get the Warriors' attention; the Warlord turned to them, lowering the drawing. The woman with the crossbow spoke; "_Non intellego linguam nostram._ _Et quod loqui linguis sit nescimus._"

The Warlord nodded, stepping towards the shield and kneeling down. He seized a paper and drew a crown, surrounding it with question marks before turning it towards them. "_Dux quis est in vobis?_" he asked, tapping the crown.

"He's asking which of us is the Warlord," Kotarō observed.

"That would be you," Okuni observed, beckoning to Oichi.

The castle's Warlord got to his feet. "_Veni mecum_." He held a hand towards her.

"He wants me to go with him," Oichi mused. She nodded to him "Alright."

Gracia grabbed her arm. "Wait," she insisted. "I want to come, too."

"Why?"

The Nixtormer dropped her voice to a whisper. "He knows about the gate. Maybe he knows about the Cosmog too. If he knows what to do about the Cosmoem, I want to be there."

"...Okay, fair enough." Oichi turned to the others. "Stay here," she instructed. "See if you can't ask them what their Pokémon are called."

+x+x+x+

The Warlord led Oichi, Gracia, and Full through the castle - which, as the others had mentioned, was indeed of the same layout as the castle in the Guzzlord's ruin. However, there was a hallway of sorts behind a door that had been blocked off by far too much rubble to be cleared off; it was a rather long hallway, at that.

Eventually, they came to a large door; the Warlord opened it, revealing it led outside. They were contained in the stone formations surrounding the castle, yet Oichi was surprised to see it was surprisingly verdant - and there was a _massive_ pool of water that, on closer inspection, was scattered with seaweed, coral, and barnacles, and bottomed with sand. It was almost as large as the lake at the base of the ravine; the waters nearest the castle were about neck height, and further off, so deep that Oichi couldn't even see the floor of the basin.

"This is... an artificial basin," Oichi realized.

"A what?" Gracia asked.

"It's meant to simulate the environment of the sea," Oichi explained. "A habitat of sorts for oceanic Pokémon that would suffer if they were limited to, like, lakes or something."

"How come we don't have any of these in Ransei?" Gracia asked.

Oichi shook her head. "Because oceanic Pokémon don't _appear_ in Ransei," she insisted, "at least not where anyone is gonna run into them. No one in Ransei spends enough time at sea to seriously consider Linking with that kind of Pokémon. The closest we've got are, like, Lapras - they live in _cold_ water, so they do just as well in Nixtorm as they would at the seafloor."

The Warlord stepped up to the edge of the water and knelt down; then he whistled four notes, in a high-low-high-low pattern. After a long moment, a sound echoed out of the water, playing those same four notes - a Pokémon's cry that Oichi did not recognize. The Warlord smiled, whistling the same pattern again, and that cry emerged again as a figure started to swim closer.

Gracia gasped in astonishment as it got near enough to make out - a small blue Pokémon with a pair of antennae-esque lengths from its head that flowed like hair. It surfaced with a leap, revealing its face - bright golden eyes, with yellow dot markings around each like eyelashes. A red shape was set into its torso, with another yellow dot below it; its rounded arms were longer than its body, yet lacked hands to give it any dexterity.

The Ranseans watched, amazed, as she leapt from the water; the Warlord held out his hands, catching her in her arms with a smile. "_Veni, Manaphy._"

"Papa!"

"Holy Gratitude..." Oichi covered her mouth with her hands. "That's... the Sea Princess?"

"I can die without regrets now," Gracia murmured, amazed at what she was seeing.

After a moment, the Sea Princess turned towards them. "Who?"

Oichi blinked. "You speak," she gasped. "You... speak _our_ language?"

The Warlord glanced between them. "_Vos intelligre?_" He smiled, running a hand lightly over her hair. "_Tu tamen plena est obrepserit._"

The Sea Princess laughed, shaking her head. "_Papa! Prohibere!_" She turned to the Ranseans, beckoning to herself. "Manaphy."

"Is that your name?" Oichi asked. "Manaphy?"

She nodded. "Papa talk you?"

"He, um, no," Oichi admitted. "He tried, but..."

Manaphy nodded. "Come." She beckoned her close, holding out one arm. "Take."

Oichi blinked. "Take your hand?" She stepped forward, warily closing her fingers on Manaphy's arm. She raised her hand up, and then one of her hair-antennae circled around Oichi's fingers; the Warlord held out his free hand, and the other wrapped around him.

Then the bulbs on the end of each started to glow a faint pink, and the Warlord looked to Oichi. "_Can you understand me now?_"

"What the...?" Oichi was astonished.

The Warlord laughed. "_What other secrets have you been hiding?_" he teased Manaphy. It was a weird experience; she **heard** him speaking his own language, yet her mind understood what he was saying.

"Lady Oichi?" Gracia asked. "Are you understanding him?"

"Gracia, you've gotta see this." She turned to Manaphy. "Um, can you..."

Manaphy nodded. "Three," she assured her. "Hands take." Her hair uncurled from Oichi, and Gracia set her own hand on it as well before Manaphy encircled them both.

"_I admit I never expected to have other Warriors come here,_" the Warlord observed. "_My name is Nagamasa._"

"I'm Gracia."

"Oichi."

Nagamasa nodded. "_If I understood your picture right, you came here by ill fortune, just as we did?_"

"Not exactly," Gracia admitted. "It's a lot longer story than- Wait, what do you mean **as you did**?"

"What is this place, anyways?" Oichi demanded.

"_That is..._" Nagama sighed. "..._That is a very long story._"

* * *

Draco: This is the first time I've had to write common Pokémon as unidentified. It's so weird.

Yeah, so, blatant self-indulgence with Nagamasa here. The Sea Princess is still absolutely precious to me. Kind of had to be inventive because the player characters are noticeably based on Azai (I mean, noticeable if you know who Azai is), so in order to avoid an #InUniverse #CelebrityParadox I kind of... perverted him into something else, and I apologize.

_Ah-ah, ah-ah..._ Yeah, I seriously went and saw Frozen II twice while it was in theaters. That's never happened to me before. And I'm still not sorry.


	32. Forsaken Lands: A Fallen Place

Draco: We are officially at more chapters than Legend of Ransei, but I think we're at a bit of a smaller word count. It's different writing the same characters without gameplay to base it on. #SequelEscalation

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: A Fallen Place**

"Obstagoon... Perrserker... Cursola... Sirfetch'd... Mr. _Rime_... and Runerigus."

Oichi lowered the drawings that Okuni had made - each labelled by Nagamasa's Warriors. "Nice to put names to them," she admitted. "It's weird to meet a Pokémon you've never even heard of."

Nagamasa had invited the Ranseans to stay for dinner; a much more welcome dinner than the rations they'd been living on in the months since they left Ransei. The Warriors were alone in the castle, without any servants to help them - and it wasn't that they were silent and unseen servants, for Oichi knew well the difference between a castle with no servants and a castle with unobstructive ones. The meal had been enjoyed - although the two parties hadn't made much in the way of conversation with each other, given the language barrier - and Ranmaru had given Oichi their drawings as they, Gracia, Lucario, and Gothitelle made their way to a living room of sorts; the sun was starting to set outside, and the others had been escorted to the bedrooms for the night, with Type: Full waiting outside the living room (for fear of crowding things).

As Oichi handed the drawings back to Ranmaru, Nagamasa stepped in, Manaphy sitting in one arm and the drawing supplies from the entrance hall in the other. With the arrangement of the furniture not really conducive to how their communication needed to propagate, the four Warriors elected to sit in a circle on the floor like children playing a simple game; Oichi, Gracia, and Ranmaru set their hands on one another, and Manaphy curled one strand around them and the other around Nagamasa's hand as he sorted through the papers.

The tips of Manaphy's hair started to glow, and she opened her eyes. "Okay."

Nagamasa found what he was looking for - Okuni's drawing of the gate. "_This rift,_" he asked. "_You came to this place through this rift?_"

Ranmaru nodded. "This is not the first place we've arrived in through the rift," he elaborated. "We've been using them to travel between... otherworlds, looking for people lost from our home."

_"Which people?_" Nagamasa asked.

"Everyone else in our group," Gracia replied. "We found them _scattered_ in different worlds. They'd gone missing without a trace from our world, along with..."

Oichi spoke up. "Along with my wife, Evia."

"_Then you have been going through these rifts voluntarily,_" Nagamasa observed. "_And... you have been able to open them where you want?_"

Gracia shook her head. "Maybe I should just show you."

She carefully made to remove her hand, causing Manaphy to uncurl her hair from them; then she drew the bag off her shoulder and set it down. Nagamasa's attention was on her as she slowly opened the bag, reached in, and gently lifted out the Cosmoem.

Nagamasa yelped, pulling his hand back in surprise. "_In tegmine siderum? Duo ex illis!?_"

"He does know," Gracia observed.

She set the Cosmoem down and returned her hand to the union; Manaphy offered Nagamasa a worried look before curling her hair around their hands once again. "_Where did you find them?_"

"We found them before they were like this," Gracia explained. "The Cosmog appeared in our homeland, and I was able to Link with them. When the disappearances started happening, they revealed they could open the gates."

Nagamasa turned towards the Cosmoem. "_And what is this?_"

"When they opened the gates, it took a toll on them," Ranmaru explained. "They needed rest for some weeks before they were able to open another. In the last place we had gone to, we found ourselves under a very great threat, very shortly after we arrived. The Cosmog were the ones that chose to open the gate - without our asking."

"_And so they have become cocoons of the stars,_" Nagamasa realized.

Oichi blinked. "Cocoons? What are you saying? The Cosmoem are...?"

"_They are idols of legend,_" Nagamasa explained. "_They would be delivered unto altars as offerings. And when no one is looking, they would vanish, and in their place would be found the sun or the moon - legendary beings that roam the space between these places._"

"Then... what does that mean?" Ranmaru murmured. "They are sacrifices, meant to call these legendary Pokémon?"

"No way!" Gracia moved her free hand to defend the Cosmoem. "I'm not sacrificing them!"

Nagamasa shook his head. "_There are no altars in this place,_" he insisted. "_And __I do not know that the moon or the sun would come without being called. You have nothing to fear._"

With a deep breath, Gracia let her hand fall, and Oichi turned back to Nagamasa. "You haven't told us what this place is," she observed.

"_I do not know for certain,_" Nagamasa insisted. "_This castle and everything in this place had existed before I came here._"

"Meaning what?"

"_My Warriors and I were friends in our childhood,_" Nagamasa explained. "_We lived on a small island, as part of a fairly small community. One day, we stumbled upon a rift. It brought us here, and then closed behind us. We have been trapped here since._" He took a deep breath. "_I... suspect that this place is some sort of safe haven - that it was made by someone who travelled as you are, in the hopes that those who were lost in the rifts would find it. Perhaps someone made use of this place, long before my Warriors and I arrived here - and, perhaps, someone will make use of it long after we are gone._"

"That's not impossible," Oichi observed.

Ranmaru sighed. "You mean you've been trapped here since your childhood?" he asked. "That the gates have never opened since?"

Nagamasa pursed his lips; Manaphy uncurled her hair from the Warriors, and looked up to him. "Papa?"

"_Doleo,_" Nagamasa murmured. "_Donec increscat dies. Dormiamus hospitio._"

He started out of the room, and Gracia stumbled over her words for a bit before turning to Manaphy. "What?"

"Day late," Manaphy said quietly. "Papa sleep." She made to follow him. "You sleep, too."

Her movement was slow on land, but she followed Nagamasa out the open door. With a sigh, Oichi got to her feet, and Type: Full stepped in. "Sorry you had to sit that one out."

The other two rose as well. "He kinda copped out on that last one, didn't he?" Gracia observed.

"Indeed," Ranmaru agreed. "But if he _had_ found another gate, he would have taken it, wouldn't he?"

"A safe haven in the otherworlds?" Oichi murmured. "And then a gate appears - the same kind of gate that ripped him out of a place he knew was safe and dragged him here?"

"...Point," Ranmaru conceded.

+x+x+x+

The three Warriors and their Pokémon made their way to the bedrooms. Ranmaru and Gracia retired quite quickly; Oichi stayed up a little longer, approaching Kotarō's room. She didn't even need to knock; the doorknob turned when she halted before the door, and it opened to reveal the Yakshan behind it.

"He departed ahead of you," Kotarō observed.

"He's trustworthy," Oichi proclaimed. "You don't do anything to him or his Warriors unless they attack first."

"Ha..." Kotarō smirked. "Are you certain you're not simply biased by his Link with a small Pokémon?"

"A Pokémon of _legend_," Oichi corrected. "No matter how small, the Sea Princess is a legend all the same - and I have no reason to think her a legend any less powerful than the Black Yang."

Kotarō scoffed. "Very well," he observed. "But if they **do** attack first, I'm not like to hold back."

He closed the door in Oichi's face, leaving the healer to sigh. The conversation with Nagamasa had only renewed her concern for Evia; this place was their eleventh destination, and there was still no sign of her.

She started towards the empty room with Full, and retired for the night.

+x+x+x+

The next morning, Nagamasa's Warriors had departed by the time the Ranseans awoke; the others went to collect all their rations and camping supplies from the lake, and Oichi and Full found Nagamasa himself at Manaphy's basin with the writing supplies. There were a few outdoor chairs and a short table she hadn't noticed the other day, when he had introduced them, and he was hunched over the table with a sheet of paper as she approached. "Good morning," she greeted.

"_Salve iterum_," the Warlord returned.

Oichi glanced towards the basin. "Where's Manaphy?"

On hearing the Sea Princess' name, Nagamasa turned a drawing towards her. Oichi glanced at it and discovered it looked to be a diagram of sorts. Manaphy was at the bottom of what seemed to be the basin before them; four musical notes were drawn, run through with an arrow connecting her to the shore, where a humanoid figure stood.

"So she doesn't come until you call," Oichi mused.

Nagamasa tapped the notes with his pen before pointing it at Oichi. "_Ut hic vocant eam, si libet._"

Oichi stared at the tip of his pen for a moment before realizing what he was suggesting. "You want me to-" She scoffed, a smile rising on her face. "No. I'm not going to jump in on your little practice when you have a Link with a legendary Pokémon. No, no thanks." She shook her head.

With a small smirk, Nagamasa reclined in his seat again.

Sighing, Oichi took a blank sheet of paper and one of the pens before kneeling at the table. Okuni had been serious about her lack of artistic skills, but as Gracia had mentioned, the exact imagery was less important than getting your point across; the gate was not a super-complicated image when she tried, and gazing up at Nagamasa's headband let her recreate that recognizably enough. She drew an arrow pointing his mark through the gate and made what was more-or-less recognizable as a castle shape before... deciding that Manaphy was a bit too difficult for her to draw. She drew a pattern more or less matching those of thee Sea Princess' body and eyelashes, encircled them (with what ended up looking egg-shaped), and drew question marks around it before turning it to Nagamasa.

"Did you find her before you came here?" Oichi asked.

Nagamasa regarded the image for a moment before taking his pen and crossing out Oichi's representation of the Sea Princess. "_Non inveniret eam quasi membrana ovi egredi._" He quickly drew a shape close along Manaphy's silhouette before pointing it to the side of the gate with the castle.

"I didn't need you insulting my art skills, thanks," Oichi muttered.

Manaphy's four-note cry emerged from the water; the two Warriors turned as she started to swim towards the shore. Nagamasa got to his feet with a smile, whistling the notes back, and the Sea Princess leapt from the water as she had the previous day, landing in his arms. "_Papa! Mane!_"

"_Mane, Manaphy_," he returned. "_Dormivistine bene?_"

"Mhm. _Somnus felix._" She turned to Oichi. "Morning!"

Oichi giggled. "How can you sound like a child, and speak both his language and mine?"

Manaphy giggled back. "Hand take," she prompted, holding out one arm.

With a nod, Oichi held out her hand for Manaphy to wrap it; Nagamasa did the same, and her hairtips glowed as he turned his attention back to Oichi. "_Is there something particular for you to come find me, so early?_" he asked.

"You didn't really answer the last question yesterday," Oichi admitted. "But I think I get it." She beckoned her free hand towards her drawing. "You did see one more gate since you arrived."

"_Yes,_" Nagamasa confirmed. "_Manaphy came through it when it appeared at the lake. When we arrived after it had vanished, we found her in the water. We all considered ourselves fortunate this basin was here._"

"Is that why she sleeps out here?" Oichi asked.

Nagamasa nodded. "_If she spends too much time outside an ocean environment, it does terrible things to her._" Manaphy looked away he said that, and he continued; "_I try not to keep her away from the basin all day. As you might have guessed, I do not spend a great deal of time away from the castle._"

"I see," Oichi mused. "Do you not have Links with any other Pokémon?"

"_Well... no,_" Nagamasa admitted. "_None of us had forged any Links before we came to this place. We have made them with the ones__ we found here. I had been the subject of some friendly taunts before she arrived._"

Oichi nodded, turning towards the basin briefly before turning back to him. "Tell me more about the sun and the moon," she asked. "You said they were legendary Pokémon?"

"_Yes,_" Nagamasa confirmed. "_There were stories about them on the island village I called home - though nothing that was ever put into practice. It is said that they roam a void - which I believe refers to the space between these places you have been searching._"

"And you have only ever been to this place since you arrived from your home?" Oichi asked. "The only gates you've seen were the one you came through, and the one Manaphy did?"

Nagamasa took a deep breath. "_...There has been one more,_" he confessed. "_I've only been to it once, shortly after Manaphy arrived. It's rare that we get the opportunity, and none of us have dared to take it twice._"

Oichi shook her head. "I still haven't found my wife," she informed him. "With the Cosmoem unable to open the gates, we have to take whatever-"

She cut herself off as she realized what he'd said.

"...What do you mean, you **get the chance**?"

+x+x+x+

"What in Distortion!?"

When Oichi shared what Nagamasa had told her, _all_ the Ranseans freaked out. "I'm serious," the healer insisted. "The sky garden's high enough to pass over the castle. It happens when it drifts past the ravine, it does get close enough to climb on from there. When it does, there's a gate that opens - and it takes them to the same place, every time."

"But what _is_ that place?" Kotarō demanded. "What sort of area would they be scared of?"

"He wouldn't say," Oichi admitted, "but I think there are beasts through there. With the way they refuse Links and the power they have, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to try their luck."

Okuni sighed. "And... you're suggesting we go through that gate?" she asked. "Despite it being a once-in-how-long chance?"

Gracia turned to her. "What else are we gonna do?" she retorted. "The Cosmoem can't open the gates, and we still haven't found Lady Evia."

"Indeed," Ranmaru conceded. "We've only this one chance. If we're to be trapped here for evermore, I would rather we didn't do so regretfully."

Oichi nodded. "I'm gonna take the chance," she proclaimed. "Anyone who wants to stay here with Nagamasa and his Warriors can, but I'm going through that gate at the first opportunity."

"I'm coming," Gracia proclaimed. "No way am I letting you go through it alone."

"And I, as well," Ranmaru insisted. "We've come this far, I'll not abandon you yet."

Mitsunari shook his head. "You lot still need escorts, don't you?" he argued.

Kiyomasa chuckled. "Yeah, our job's not done yet," he agreed.

Masanori hoisted his kanabo over his shoulder. "Not leaving us behind!" he cheered.

"...It's probably not the Pheromosa's forest," Okuni wagered. "I'll come."

Kotarō raised an eyebrow when Oichi turned to him. "You're giving me the option?" he observed.

"Yeah," Oichi insisted. "Your vow just means I can give you an ongoing order before I leave."

"Ha..." Kotarō smirked. "You'll not let me throw Warriors into oblivion. I'll be more than happy to impart my wrath on the beasts."

Ranmaru nodded. "That settles it," he observed. "We're all going. What's our course of action?"

"Nagamasa said the sky garden drifts close enough to the ravine every week or so," Oichi explained, "and sticks around there for an hour and a half. Then it passes over the castle two hours later. We'll make camp at the top of the ravine and wait for it to get near, then get on and wait for the gate."

Gracia's smile fell. "The top of the ravine?" she asked.

Oichi turned to her. "Yes, what about it?"

Okuni chuckled awkwardly. "You mean with those _huge Exeggutor_?"

"...We'll be very careful."

* * *

Draco: I don't imagine Nagamasa having a particularly deep voice, but I can't picture someone speaking [the language I've chosen for these Warriors] without hearing it in a _baritone_. There's no reason for it.

Also, for some reason it feels worse when I do it in a language other than my own so I feel the need to excuse myself, but Manaphy's [use of the language] is deliberately meant to be as spotty as her English.


	33. Seat of War: Blind Conquest

Draco: So, I just realized that my little snark at the end of Chapter 30 about Warrior combat not being limited to the Ranseans vs. the Kartana sounded like I was gonna have them fight Nagamasa's Warriors. I apologize. This is where the battles really get Conquest-esque.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Seat of War: Blind Conquest**

"Those were the weirdest Exeggutor I've ever seen."

The party of Ranseans had successfully managed to fight off the Coconut Pokémon at the top of the ravine; Oichi had equipped Type: Full with the Ice-type disc to give him the offensive advantage, but the massive length of the Dragon-type versions made it harder than it could have been. Even so, the Pokémon had retreated soon enough, and the Ranseans were sitting around the font of the waterfalls, resting in anticipation.

Gracia glanced towards the sky garden. "It's pretty close," she observed. "We might be able to get on it before the sun goes down."

"That sounds better than making camp and having to keep watch," Ranmaru admitted.

Oichi had removed Full's disc and was contemplating what to replace it with when a familiar four-note cry echoed up from below. Surprised, she glanced down to find the Sea Princess was swimming up the falls with incredible fluidity - and lower down, the Warlord to which she was Linked was following her, dressed in just enough armour to be defended and still agile (it seemed to be the bottom half of a dark chestplate worn over a white tunic, with similar plates on his shoulders and hips, armoured gauntlets over fingerless gloves, a respectable pair of sabatons, and a short red cape) and climbing up as fast as his legs would carry him.

"Nagamasa? Manaphy!"

The Sea Princess surfaced at the edge of the top level as Nagamasa was reaching the peak, and leapt to his arms once they were free. "_Oichi!_" he called. "_Quid tu hic agis?!_"

"I hope you're not trying to stop us," Oichi protested as the Warlord circled the font. "We have to see what's on the other side of that thing."

Once they were near enough, Manaphy wrapped her hair-antennae around Nagamasa's hand and prompted for Oichi to do the same; the Ransean let the Sea Princess work, and once her hairtips were alight, Nagamasa looked up to her. "_Tell me you do not intend to go through that rift,_" he pleaded.

"I **have** to go through," Oichi insisted. "If there's **any** chance my wife is on the other side of that thing, I have to find her."

"_You do not understand,_" Nagamasa protested. "_The world on the other side of that rift is a land of chaos. Every time we have gone through, there has been nothing but disaster going on. And if you do not return very quickly after you go through, the rift will vanish, and you will be stranded there until the time passes once again._"

"We're **all** willing to take the risk!" Oichi retorted. "We've been through nine worlds where we had to survive against beasts, we can handle one more!"

"Lady Oichi!" Okuni's call drew her attention; the sky garden was near enough now for them to leap on - and from so close, it seemed to be moving a good deal faster than most sky gardens with which they were familiar. "It's here!"

"Right!" Oichi extracted her hand from Manaphy's wrap, causing the Sea Princess to cry out in surprise; then she charged towards the edge of the ravine and leapt, finding the distance no greater than a ship without a boarding plank that had been moored carefully at a dock. She landed and took a few steps away as the other Ransean Warriors and Pokémon leapt the gap; Type: Full brought up the rear, landing heavily at the edge.

Nagamasa and Manaphy exchanged worried glances; then the Warlord turned and dashed after it, leaping towards them.

It was clear the last time he had done this, he hadn't been wearing his armour; as little plate as he had, it added enough weight that he almost didn't make it. Panicking, he threw Manaphy up ahead of him as he started to plummet. Full reacted quickly, seizing Nagamasa's cape in his maw as Oichi caught Manaphy in mid-flight; the Synthetic Pokémon dragged the Warlord further up, whereupon Lucario grabbed his arm and pulled him on solidly.

Full only released his cape once he was well away from the edge; Nagamasa, Manaphy, and Oichi all breathed a sigh of relief. "_Quod multo propius,_" the Warlord murmured.

"Why did you come after us?" Oichi demanded.

Manaphy turned to her. "Worry," she insisted. "Place gate, danger."

"I know it's dangerous," Oichi proclaimed. "We know how to handle beasts, we're not going to-"

"Not beast," Manaphy interrupted.

"...What do you mean, not beast?"

+x+x+x+

About three hours later, they reached the gate.

The reason for the limited access became clear; the slight movement of the sky garden made it obvious that the gate was immobile in the air above it. When it appeared, Oichi was concerned; it didn't look quite like the gates the Cosmog had opened, more resembling the seams that they took while they were in the process of doing so.

"You sure this will let us through?" Gracia asked.

Manaphy nodded. "Try."

The Nixtormer warily stepped towards it, one hand holding the Cosmoem's bag, the other reaching forward. As her hand connected with the seam, it was briefly thrown wide - and Gracia vanished into it before it reduced to a seam again. Gothitelle followed suit, stepping into the seam after her Warrior; then Okuni and Volcarona, Masanori and Krookodile, Kiyomasa and Haxorus, Mitsunari and Bisharp, and then Kotarō and Zoroark. Oichi kept her hand on Full as the two of them stepped through, vanishing as well.

Nagamasa glanced down to Manaphy. "_Es certus?_"

Manaphy nodded. "_Cave, Papa._"

+x+x+x+

Travelling through this ambient seam was a much different experience than travelling through generated gates. The shining tunnel of before was completely absent; Oichi stepped forward as it opened wide, and abruptly found herself stepping out as it closed back up behind her. The others were watching ahead of her; Oichi lifted her hand from Full and stepped around, trying to get a good view.

They stood on a rocky cliff, with small stone pillars forming accesses between levels - a path that would be easy to descend, but much harder to climb in any sort of timely matter. Below was a devastated plain, barren and lifeless; scattered upon its surface were the ruins of sizeable buildings. And in the distance, Oichi could see a brilliant light - not a sunset on a horizon, but a radiant being at the edge of a cliff. Surrounding that radiance was a border fortress of stone - not high enough to prohibit its light from illuminating the plains, but enough to stop anyone from approaching it directly. The cliff on which the Ranseans stood descended three levels... and there was a battlefield at the bottom level.

And on it, beasts fought beasts - and humans fought humans.

"Kartana?" Okuni realized. "And... Pheromosa?! With _Warriors!_?"

"Hall of Origin..." Oichi didn't want to believe what she was seeing. "This is..."

Something curled around her hand, earning her attention; Nagamasa and Manaphy had come through the gate as well, and Manaphy's hairtips were glowing. "_This is why I did not want you to come,_" Nagamasa informed her.

Oichi shook her head. "Where did these Warriors come from?" she demanded.

"_This battle was ongoing when I had first arrived,_" Nagamasa replied. "_I believe rifts like this one open in several worlds - and through them come these Warriors._"

Kotarō's gaze narrowed. "That light, in the distance," he observed. "It doesn't seem... ambient. Ask him what it is."

When Oichi relayed the question, Nagamasa shook his head. "_The Warriors call it... the Blinding One. It is a figure from the legends of my home - a convergence of the light of sun and moon. They fight for the right to see the Blinding One - if any try to scale the wall that guards it, their foes will fight to stop them._"

Oichi took a deep breath. "I've only seen one Pokémon with a light that strong," she mused. "You don't get the right to see it by winning one fight."

She slipped her hand out of Manaphy's wrap, causing the Sea Princess to turn. "Oichi? What doing?"

"We need to get to that border," Oichi told the others. "Anyone with misgivings, go back with Nagamasa."

"Not happening," Gracia proclaimed.

"Never," Ranmaru agreed.

Everyone started to descend the cliff, causing Nagamasa to start. "_Manare!_"

"We're going," Oichi proclaimed. "We're willing to risk it."

She and Null leapt down as a final proclamation; after a moment, Nagamasa and Manaphy turned to each other... and with heavy hearts, they turned away, and started back through the gate.

+x+x+x+

When they reached the battlefield, it was clear that it was a much more furious fight than they expected.

From experience with both beasts, Oichi had thought the Pheromosa would have a sizeable type advantage - yet the battle was much closer than that. The Kartana knew that a single hit would be dangerous, and kept their distance from the Pheromosa's Triple Kicks, landing glancing blows with their Leaf Blades as they passed. The fights between the Warriors were similarly even-paced; for every Kartana, there was a man in what looked like kendo gear, brandishing a shinai, and for every Pheromosa, a woman wrapped in cloths that looked designed to hold back the heat, carrying a sickle.

The fight was so intense that the beasts' Warriors barely noticed the Ranseans descending; they were at the level nearest the battlefield without having drawn attention. Oichi was searching through the bag of RKS discs as Ranmaru took note of their numbers. "Three Pheromosa, four Kartana."

"What's our course of action?" Gracia asked.

"Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, Masanori - hold back. You're at a disadvantage. Join us once we clear the battlefield." She found the Fire-type disc and pulled it from its case, slipping it into Full's slot. "The rest of us, go on the offensive. Start with the Pheromosa if you can, but don't feign alliance - they're _all_ our opponents."

"Yes, Lady Oichi!"

Oichi winced when she heard the group address her - a practice she'd long been on the other end of. The Warriors below heard the call, and the battle halted as Full stood upright, closing his RKS slot, his spikes turning red.

"Let's go see what Infinity looks like from here."

Full roared, leaping from the cliff; one of the Kartana whirled towards him, swords shining with Leaf Blade... and barely made contact before Full's flaming claws came down on it. The searing blow slammed into the beast as gravity pulled them both earthward, throwing it to the ground alight and sending it tumbling away; Oichi and Gracia took the short jump down, dashing into the the fray - Oichi with her staff at the ready, Gracia with her hands wrapped in psychic energy. The Pheromosa promptly charged towards Full, converging in time for Gothitelle to loose a pulse without getting him in the crossfire, and Okuni and Ranmaru leapt down after Oichi and Gracia.

Volcarona made a broader leap, landing between the three beasts; they barely had time to react before she twisted into a Fiery Dance. Before the flames had even subsided, they were bombarding Volcarona with Triple Kicks; Null struck one aside, and Zoroark managed to get the attention of the other two with a Night Daze. Ranmaru grabbed his necklace; Lucario leapt from the cliff as the prismatic light wrapped him, and it cracked at the peak of his jump to reveal his changes before he twisted into a flip and hurled an Aura Sphere at the Kartana that though it could intersect him in mid-flight.

One of the kendoka tried to blindside Oichi - but Kotarō stopped his shinai on his claws, grinning at him threateningly. A fierce scissor motion sliced off the top half of his blade, and he twisted into a flurry of slashes, reducing the remainder to the hilt before kicking the Warrior in the chest. A sickle-bearing bandit had her blade stopped on the head of Oichi's staff, and Gracia struck her weapon arm with a psychic-wrapped hand, causing it to go limp at her side before Oichi struck her in the chest; then Okuni up behind her, disarming the bandit with the hook of her parasol before bashing her head with the body.

Zoroark leapt away from the two Pheromosa he'd aggravated, their kicks whiffing on air - and Lucario descended in his place as Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded all three. He finished one off with a bombardment of Close Combat, and Full struck down the other that had a good reach on him; Volcarona leapt over the remaining Pheromosa as two Kartana twisted close, another Fiery Dance burning all three attackers off the assault.

To Oichi's concern, the remaining two bandits didn't let up even with their beasts unconscious; she met their sickles on her staff, and Ranmaru quickly moved in to beat the weapons away, leaving Oichi to bashed the fingers of a kendoka approaching from the side. As he dropped his shinai, Okuni hooked it with her parasol and hurled it towards the bandits; it struck across the legs of one, leaving her tumbling to the floor, and Ranmaru disarmed the other and knocked her into her ally with a whirling kick.

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at a Kartana that was closing in on Kotarō; the Yakshan barely noticed the beast tumbling to a rough landing, locked in combat with another kendoka. This one was much more fluid in his movements than the one whose shinai he'd cut apart; Kotarō was left waiting until he was able to pin the weapon beneath his foot, lashing across the Warrior's arms with his claws to get him to release it before sweeping his head forward in a headbutt, the upper form of his mask knocking the kendoka out in short order.

He kicked up the shinai and kicked it towards the remaining Warrior, who was trying to get Okuni from behind; the shinai struck the back of his head, leaving him reeling. Okuni heard the impact and spun around, bashing the kendoka with her parasol as Full charged towards the last Kartana; the beast lashed Full across the face with its Leaf Blade, but he only roared in anger, bringing down blazing claws and knocking the beast to the ground.

Silence washed across the battlefield; beasts and their Warriors had all been defeated.

Oichi set the base of her staff against the ground, turning towards the cliff as Masanori, Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, Krookodile, Bisharp, and Haxorus descended. "Wild beasts made us stronger," she mused. "Now beasts under the command of Warriors get to witness the results."

She turned and made to lead the Ranseans away from the battlefield - advancing towards the shining light in the distance.

+x+x+x+

Nagamasa had come to stop Oichi and her Warriors from going through the rift... but in hindsight, he wasn't sure how safe it would have been to bring them back to the castle even if he had been successful.

He didn't like to keep Manaphy out of the castle's basin for very long - which ruled out the idea of waiting for the sky garden to drift close enough to the snowy mountain for them to dismount, given that it could take a few days. Rather, with the rift being above the castle, the position of the sky garden gave the two of them the ability to dive into the basin from above.

Manaphy was able to make the landing in the water safer than it would have been otherwise. In battle, she was able to manifest whirlpools that battered opponents extensively, even without water to provoke. Diving towards water as deep as this, she was able to amplify that, raising a sizeable turn of water into which she and Nagamasa were able to direct their fall. As they touched the water, it lowered them to the basin; the whirlpool dragged them a little lower than Nagamasa would have liked, but the small amount of plate he wore wasn't enough to keep him from swimming.

Once the water had subsided, he swam to the water's edge and pulled himself out; he sat at the rim of the basin, taking a deep breath. Manaphy surfaced beside him, watching as he turned his attention towards the sky garden.

"_Optima fortuna, Oichi_."

* * *

Draco: Good Distortion, does it feel good to write a fight between Warriors again.

I don't watch the anime, but I do take note of certain happenings in the anime to account for what certain Pokémon are capable of (usually when I discover them completely by accident on my way down the page to check their move lists). I'd like to ask that you not accuse me of pulling anything out of my ass just yet.


	34. Seat of War: Light That Fills the World

Draco: Please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong...

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{Submit Document}  
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Oh, thank Alpha.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Seat of War: Light That Fills the World**

"Owwwwowowowow..."

It was the third day since Oichi and the Warriors under her command had reached the battlefields of beasts (not that there was any light in this world but that beyond the border fortress, but they'd still been making camp when they were tired). After the melee between the Ranseans, the Kartana's kendoka, and the Pheromosa's bandits, they'd had a day of marching without drawing the ire of any Warriors; but now they were just coming off a battle with five Xurkitree, whose Warriors were garbed in strange insulation and carrying electrified batons of some sort.

Most of the Ranseans had found their weapons enough to hold off the shocks - but Oichi, Ranmaru, and Kotarō weren't so lucky, and Gracia's channel bracelets had been worse than useless to even try. The Nixtormer was fighting to try and keep her composure as Oichi used her staff to try and ease the pain at the points of connection.

"You're lucky they were satisfied carrying small charges like that," the healer observed.

"I can't feel my..." Gracia bit back the last word, sucking in a breath through her teeth as a few more drops landed on the contact-point on her stomach. "If that's your idea of a small charge, what do you call a big one?"

"Our first time attacking Violight," Oichi explained, "Evia got hit by the Lightning System."

Gracia's gaze fell. "Okay, that's fair."

Once she was tended to, Oichi helped her to her feet. Kotarō and Ranmaru had tried to sit this fight out, but the beast's Warriors had had other ides, and they'd been hard-pressed to avoid their blows. Zoroark and Lucario had better managed to stay out of the Xurkitree's attack range, but mostly because Full and Krookodile had managed to keep their attention. The Ranseans were getting fairly close to the wall between them and the light by this point - but the sounds of an ongoing battle to either side told Oichi that getting past wouldn't be a simple matter.

"Am I the only one who feels like something's out of place, here?" Okuni asked as they resumed marching.

"Meaning what?" Ranmaru asked.

"Well..." Okuni turned to Oichi, who was removing Type: Full's RKS disc. "You told us Nagamasa said the Warriors of this place tried to _climb_ that thing. But... it looks like a fortress of some kind. The kind of wall that's designed to let people through. Wouldn't there be paths at ground level?"

Ranmaru hummed, turning his attention towards the wall. "Now that you mention it, it does seem peculiar that they would try to _scale_ something so great."

"I have reasons to doubt this 'Blinding One' is inclined to just let anyone march up to it," Kotarō pointed out.

"You've got a point, there," Oichi agreed. "If I'm right about that light, there's no way it'll let an unproven nobody waltz in."

+x+x+x+

When they finally reached the wall, it was apparent to everyone why the beasts' Warriors chose to climb - the structure of the wall made it look like it was _meant_ to be climbed, with plenty of hand- and footholds and more than a few ledges on the way up. Furthermore, despite it looking more like a border fortress from a distance, up close it was clear there were no obvious paths; what seemed to be doors at first were on closer inspection merely carved into the walls, with no visible seams to pry open.

"Well, now what do we do," Kiyomasa muttered.

Masanori leaned back. "Do _we_ start climbing?"

Mitsunari shook his head. "One wrong move, and we'd be done for."

"Besides which, some of us can't," Oichi pointed out, glancing at Full. "And if the Warriors are attacking each other for trying to climb, they're going to attack us for trying."

"Or for even getting close," Kotarō observed.

Everyone followed his gaze to find two different parties of Warriors approaching them. One was a group of three women in dresses, elegant but offering mobility, each brandishing a rapier; flying after them were a group of Celesteela. The other was a quartet of hulking men with metal gauntlets, trailed by Buzzwole.

"Oh, of course we'd not get a moment's reprieve," Ranmaru grumbled.

"Gothitelle, Volcarona, Haxorus, start with the Buzzwole," Oichi instructed, drawing an RKS disc. "The rest, see if we can take out the Celesteela first." Full opened his slot, and she slipped in the Fire-type disc, prompting him to close it up. "And don't let up on the Warriors, either."

"Two fights already taught us that much," Gracia argued.

Full's spikes turned red as Oichi bagged the empty case. "Better cautious than crushed."

One the Buzzwole were in range, Gothitelle loosed a pulse of psychic energy; Haxorus and Volcarona charged forward, and the moment the beasts Lunged, Volcarona leapt between the nearest two, twisting into a Fiery Dance. Haxorus blazed with dragon mist as he approached the other two, bombarding them with Outrage as Full, Bisharp, and Zoroark started towards the Celesteela. Ranmaru seized his necklace, and Lucario's stone reacted, wrapping him in prismatic light; when it shattered, an Aura Sphere was already braced before the changed Lucario, and he thrust it forward, sending it soaring past his allies.

It hit the first Celesteela dead-on, causing the beast to reel back; it collided with the other two, the chain reaction leaving them stumbling behind. That left their Warriors off-guard - and Gracia charged straight at the leader, bashing her sword arm with a psychic-charged punch at the same moment as Gothitelle's Future Sight struck the quartet of Buzzwole. The brutes found Kotarō charging straight at them; when the first one came close enough to try to punch him, the Yakshan thrust his claws forward, the blades slipping through the joints of his gauntlet and piercing his hand.

The brute screamed in pain as Oichi bashed him; Full was nearing the Celesteela that Ranmaru had struck as it prepared a Flash Cannon, and brought flaming claws down on it, forcing the angle of its cannon down so that it only struck him. The other two found Zoroark between them before they realized he was in range, and a Night Daze burst out around them as the fencing princesses approached Masanori, Mitsunari, and Kiyomasa.

The leader's rapier was thrust towards Mitsunari, who deflected it with his iron-plated folding fan; Kiyomasa caught the tip in the hook of his scythe-spear and pinned it to the ground, and before she had the chance to withdraw it, Masanori brought his kanabo down on it, shattering the blade. Bisharp brought a Night Slash across all three Celesteela, finishing off one and causing the other two to aim at him as their Flash Cannons began; Full charged one from behind as Okuni hooked her parasol on the hilt of another princess' rapier, pulling it from her grip.

The body of the parasol bashed her as a few of the brutes found himself trading blows with Ranmaru; the gauntlets only extended halfway up their forearms, giving him plenty of surface area to strike with his blows or glance with his blades. Kotarō came up behind one and slipped one of his claws down the body of either gauntlet; the brute barely recognized the Yakshan behind him before he leapt clean over, forcing the gauntlets off his arms and leaving painful cuts in the process.

Ranmaru took him out of the battle with a kick to the gut while Haxorus and Volcarona managed to finish off one of the Buzzwole; another was knocked out by a hard blow from Lucario's Aura Sphere, intended for one of the Celesteela that Full quickly struck in lieu. One of the remaining Buzzwole found itself blasted by a Flash Cannon that a Celesteela had misaimed; Bisharp exploited the miss and struck it with his Night Slash, and Zoroark promptly finished it off with a Night Burst from behind as Krookodile - who had been holding back at this point due to a type advantage against the Bugs and the discomfort of closing one's teeth on a Steel-type - dashed up to the Buzzwole that had been blasted and Crunched one arm.

One Buzzwole remaining, and one Celesteela left. Kotarō removed the gauntlets from the last brute, and Ranmaru bashed him between the legs with a knee before driving an elbow into his temple; Gracia grabbed the wrist of the princess who had been about to thrust at Oichi, sending her arm numb as the healer struck her rapier aside, and Okuni bashed her with her parasol, knocking her down. As the Warriors of this place continued to fight without Pokémon, so too did the beasts continue to fight without Warriors; Full charged at the last Buzzwole, and when the Celesteela tried to strike his retreating form from behind, Lucario bombarded it with Close Combat, finishing it off.

The Buzzwole tried to Lunge, only to be cut off in mid-motion when Full's claws raked down its form, knocking it out.

Oichi regarded the Warriors, unconscious or (in the case of a couple brutes and one of the princesses) retreating. Lucario's changes receded as she turned back to the wall with a sigh; the fight had converged within distance of getting a good view, but one way or another they wouldn't get through without getting close, and she led the Ranseans to closing the distance.

Once they were near enough, it was clear that - despite looking like a border fortress - this thing wasn't quite man-made. The door-like shapes and handholds had only been the boldest carvings; the surfaces were covered in strange, unworldly patterns.

"It's like the Tower of Infinity all over again," Oichi murmured.

"How do you mean?" Ranmaru asked.

"Huge structure, weird doors, and a light being our reason for being here," Oichi replied. "The only difference is, these ones don't want to open for us."

Masanori hefted up his kanabo, and before anyone could stop him, he wound up and slammed it against the 'door'. To the surprise of no one but himself, it recoiled off the surface violently without even a note, and Kiyomasa put the shaft of his scythe-spear in its way so it stopped short of hitting _him_.

"What did you _think_ was gonna happen?" Mitsunari demanded.

"I was kinda hoping it would at least sound hollow," Masanori murmured.

Kiyomasa shook his head. "Nothing could convince me there's anything on the other side of that door that isn't the other side of this wall."

Okuni twirled her parasol idly. "Kotarō, you're a ninja, aren't-"

"I am _not_ climbing that," Kotarō retorted.

"I was thinking more you'd have smoke bombs that might reveal a draft," Okuni insisted.

Kotarō glanced at her. "What sort of shinobi would carry something that only-"

"Wait!" Ranmaru interrupted. "Did you hear that?"

The group fell quiet, and this time they all heard the sound - a single, low, faint note.

After a moment, Gracia glanced down at the bag she was wearing. "Cosmoem?" She opened the flap and made to draw them out, and the sound was heard again - clearer, but still faint. Warily, she held them before her, one floating just above each hand. "Do you two recognize this place somehow?"

The same note emerged from each of them - and to the amazement of everyone, the Cosmoem drifted forward. Gracia stepped after them as they came to a stop at eye level, on either side of the 'door' that Masanori had struck; after a moment, they sounded the same note again, and the door started to _shine_.

Oichi gaped as she saw the light start to _retreat_ \- it wasn't a door, but a tunnel that had been filled, and now the fill was being withdrawn. When the light faded, there was clear passage through; the Cosmoem descended once again, stopping just above the ground. Gracia lifted them again as Oichi stepped forward, peering inside. The source of the light, that Nagamasa had called the Blinding One, was visible from this end of the tunnel, and from this range she was sure she had never seen it before.

"That's not the Alpha."

Gracia turned towards her, a Cosmoem floating over each hand. "...That doesn't mean it's not gonna be able to help us," she observed.

With a deep breath, Oichi and Full started forward; Lucario, Ranmaru, Gothitelle, and Gracia followed close behind her. Mitsunari, Bisharp, Kiyomasa, Haxorus, Masanori, and Krookodile followed behind them; Okuni, Volcarona, Kotarō, and Zoroark brought up the rear. As they entered the tunnel, the light seemed to appear again behind them - but it wasn't chasing them with any haste, only ensuring that they were the only ones to enter, that the Warriors of this place didn't attack them from behind.

The Blinding One was a terrifying thing as they got closer - a titanic dragon, its entirety seeming to be insubstantial light, save for a few portions of golden crystal from whence the light seemed to pour. Its face seemed like a mask, with unmatching eyes - one of red, one of blue - and wings emerging from the sides; its body was angular, ridged like armour. Four wings floated, disconnected from its body, sourced from thin lengths that ended in claws; its legs were massive, with sizeable protrusions extending forward and upward and three fierce claws on each.

As the Ransean Warriors emerged on its side of the border fortress, the path closed behind them as the Blinding One regarded them.

Oichi winced as they stood before the Pokémon. _A little less aggressive than the Alpha, maybe,_ she observed. _But this light... no wonder they call it the Blinding One. Does all the illumination in this world come from this thing? _

Movement beside her caught her off-guard; Ranmaru was stepping forward, and he raised a hand towards it. "Ranmaru? Are you-!?"

"It doesn't... want my Link," he observed. "It just wants me to... _hear_ it." He closed his eyes. "Necrozma... Is that your name?"

Gracia glanced at the Blinding One - Necrozma - and then turned back to Ranmaru. "What does it say?"

"It says... it can sense something on us," Ranmaru replied. "It must be talking about the gates."

Oichi turned to Necrozma. "How much do you know about the gates?"

"...Cosmoem," Ranmaru replied. "It's saying to... lay the Cosmoem before it."

With a deep breath, Gracia stepped forward, the Cosmoem still floating above her hands. As she got closer, the light got stronger, until she was forced to close her eyes; she took three steps more, and then knelt down, letting the Cosmoem rest upon the ground and then stepping back until Oichi caught her arm.

Necrozma leaned its head back and roared - a shimmering, blinding roar that seemed to shake the border fortress behind them. The Warriors raised their weapons defensively, fearing what would happen as two emblems appeared beneath the Cosmog - one that seemed to be a stylized sun, and another that looked like two crescent moons joined at the low of their arcs.

The Blinding One swept its wings forward, and from the sun emerged a _surge_ \- like a geyser of pure light had burst forth from the earth beneath the Cosmoem. Gracia cried out, trying to charge forward before Oichi held her back; within the light, she could see the Cosmoem _changing_ \- a bolder, brilliant figure.

When the light faded, a radiant figure landed where the emblem of the sun had lay; a leonine figure in white and gold. Its mane extended in eight directions around it, and gold crests surrounded its face, like the sun lay in its fur; its eyes lay in a starry void upon its brow, and ruby crystals were scattered around its mane and upon its forelegs.

Necrozma touched down upon the ridge behind them, drawing everyone's attention back to it; the crystals of its armour had gone dark, and although the light of its body still remained, it seemed to flicker. None could even try to offer it aid before it swept its wings forward once more - and another geyser emerged from the moon.

When this light faded, a different figure floated down over the emblem of the moon; a pteropus figure in shades of blue. Its body seemed traced with a skeletal form, and the edges of its wings and tail were golden arcs like crescents; it, too, had a starry void around its eyes, resting in a golden ridge, and sapphire crystals were scattered in its wings.

Oichi's grip faltered on Gracia's arm, and she stepped forward, amazed. "Cosmoem?" Her eyes widened, and she halted in mid-step. "Ah..." She raised a hand towards each of them, feeling their Link.

The sunlit Pokémon stepped forward, and set his brow against her palm.

"Solgaleo..."

The moonlit Pokémon drifted low, and did the same to her other hand.

"Lunala..."

Oichi's free hand went up to her mouth. "Of course... Nagamasa said the sun and moon roamed the space between worlds... The Cosmog _evolved_ into Cosmoem - the cocoon of the stars was an _intermediary_. And the Cosmoem..."

"Evolved into the sun and moon," Ranmaru gasped. "That's why they could open the gates."

A low cry, a _pained_ cry, emerged from the ridge; the Ranseans turned their gaze to find that Necrozma no longer looked quite deserving of the epithet of 'Blinding One'. Its body had turned a dark, empty black, rearranged into a vaguely humanoid figure. The mighty claws that had been its feet now served as its hands, the lengths that had been the source of its wings were now its arms and legs, and its face was set deep into what had once been its body, its eyes now triangular shapes upon a black surface.

"What happened?" Gracia murmured.

Ranmaru raised his hand towards Necrozma once again. "It says... a sun and moon once before had given it light together," he explained. "That let it have light of its own. To give light to two cocoons... It had to give all the light it had."

"Oh no..." Gracia lifted her hands from Solgaleo and Lunala, and they turned towards Necrozma. "Wait-"

"No!" Ranmaru warned. "It says... they'll need a while, to adapt to their light, now. If they try to give it light too soon... they'll be reduced to cocoons again. And there might not be enough light to go both ways."

Oichi closed her eyes. "Will you be alright?" she asked Necrozma. "Waiting until they've adapted to their light?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "It... says it's willing to endure."

Necrozma lifted off the ground - and in view of all the Warriors, slowly ascended heavenward.

Gracia took a deep breath before looking between the sun and moon. "You two..." Luanala and Solgaleo turned back to face her. "There's still someone we haven't found. Lady Evia's missing in one of these worlds, just like the others. Can you...?"

Lunala spread her wings and gave an echoing screech.

"They..." Gracia turned to Oichi. "They should be able to find her," she relayed. "But they need a... a connection - a lead of some kind."

After just a moment, Oichi glanced at her hand. "Matching wedding rings," she realized. "They were forged in the same fire, cast in one mold, gems taken from the same source."

Solgaleo raised his head and gave a powerful roar.

"...That's a promise not to lose the one while they find the other," Gracia told her with a slight giggle.

A smile rising on her face, Oichi pulled her ring from her finger. "Find my wife," she told them, "and I could care less."

She threw it up towards Lunala, who caught the ring in her maw - when the motion stopped, Oichi could see it peeking out. She and Solgaleo turned around, and Lunala raised her wings so that her figure would fit in a perfect circle - and her body flooded with light, such that she seemed for all the world to be a full moon.

The starry void upon her brow turned blinding white, and a third eye manifested within it.

With a rush of light, a gate appeared on the ridge where Necrozma had stood, and Ranmaru pumped his fist. "Yes! There's our path!"

Lunala tossed Oichi's ring back to her, and she caught it with a grin as Solgaleo turned to them. "We can jump through," Gracia informed everyone. "But they'll have to be in the front and back!"

"Let's go!" Oichi proclaimed.

"Yes, Lady Oichi!"

Solgaleo's mane started to shine, and his void, too, illuminated as a third eye appeared upon it; he leapt into the gate, and Oihci and Full led the charge after him. Ranmaru and Lucario followed suit, followed swiftly by Gracia and Gothitelle. Okuni and Volcarona jumped in next, and Kotarō and Zoroark followed suit. Mitsunari and Bisharp; Kiyomasa and Haxorus; and Masanori and Krookodile.

Lunala swooped in a broad loop before soaring in after them, and the gate vanished behind her.

* * *

Draco: Okay, giving you guys the battle details for the sun and moon. Necrozma is not appearing as a combatant, it's not important.

Solgaleo  
-Range: 4  
-Move: Sunsteel Strike  
-Ability: Full Metal Body  
Evolves from Cosmoem: Improve Link in May-Aug

Lunala  
-Range: 4  
-Move: Moongeist Beam  
-Ability: Shadow Shield  
Evolves from Cosmoem: Improve Link in Nov-Feb

Sunsteel Strike (Steel)  
-Movement: 1 square forward  
-Attack area: three tiles surrounding destination (i.e. Brave Bird)  
-Effect: ignores abilities

Moongeist Beam (Ghost)  
-Attack area: three tiles ahead (i.e. Dragon Pulse)  
-Effect: ignores abilities

Full Metal Body  
-The Pokémon's stats cannot be lowered

Shadow Shield  
-Reduces damage taken when HP is full

Of course, the evolution conditions are just kind of player-induction because, like the story in Alola, these Cosmoem evolve under special condition. But, anyways, the basis for the evolution conditions is, that's when the days/nights are longer. In theory, anyways.


	35. Depths of Darkness: The Lost

Draco: Alright, guys, you didn't think I was gonna leave out Symbiont, did you? Warning for the squeamish, this chapter is going to have some mildly unpleasant imagery involved.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Depths of Darkness: The Lost**

When Oichi came out the end of the gate, for a moment she thought she had lost her vision. What she was seeing before her couldn't possibly have been the reality of their destination; it looked for all the world like she was standing _underwater_. There was a sizeable expanse of emptiness before her, with small particles drifting randomly around her; after a moment, she could see that she was standing in a broad-looking cave, but the walls seemed to be made of coral, and up ahead, the cave seemed to bend, implying this was not a straightforward path.

"I've had nicer dreams," Oichi observed.

Something nudged her from the side - it was Type: Full, and as she stumbled he turned to her confrontingly.

"Okay," Oichi conceded, "I'm not hallucinating."

A _woosh_ of wings drew her attention; Solgaleo was standing closer to the gate, and with the Ranseans all arrived Lunala had come through as well. The gate closed behind her as the Warriors and Pokémon regarded their surroundings warily; it had opened in a dead-end of the cavern, and the sun and moon were now waiting against the walls.

"Lady Evia was brought to _this_ place?" Ranmaru muttered.

Gracia turned to Solgaleo and Lunala. "Are you two coming with us?"

Lunala shook her head.

"They're gonna stay here," Gracia relayed. "They'll come if we need them - otherwise they're just gonna crowd things."

"Enclosed area like this," Oichi admitted, "we need to be as uncrowded as we can. Alright." She turned to the cave. "Eyes peeled, everyone."

Full, Lucario, and Gothitelle led the advance, with Oichi, Ranmaru, and Gracia following behind them. Volcarona and Zoroark were next, with Okuni and Kotarō keeping their arms at the ready; Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori were behind them, with Bisharp, Haxorus, and Krookodile bringing up the rear to avoid back-attacks. There was largely silence as they advanced, saved for their footsteps; the cave walls seemed to have a faint ambient glow to them, keeping them from being in the dark as they rounded the bend and continued further in.

It didn't take long for the cave to narrow, and shortly afterwards, they reached a branching of paths; Full prompted the procession to halt, and Gracia spoke up warily. "Um... every left path?" she suggested.

"Sounds good," Okuni murmured. "I don't want us splitting up if there's a beast we don't know here."

Unfortunately, the left-hand path didn't extend very far before stopping at a wide-open room, nearly as broad as that where they'd come in. More complications arose when they got a good look at the place - there were holes in the cave walls, which seemed to be paths with one end well above the ground.

"I really hope this isn't three dead-ends connected to other places at _that_ altitude," Ranmaru murmured.

"Turn around?" Gracia asked.

"Might as well," Oichi conceded, turning to face the others. "Let's just-"

A sound like stone breaking cut her off; crystalline rocks descended with a ferocity and slammed into Volcarona, earning a cry of pain, and everyone started in a panic at being blindsided from above. Full roared skyward, and Oichi followed his attention to find something was descending. A bell-shaped, transluscent figure that seemed to float in the air like a fish Pokémon would underwater; numerous tentacles of varying lengths extended from around the ridge of the bell, and with a view from below it was clear that the thing was _hollow_.

Its descent came to a stop at the opposite wall, just low enough for everyone to have a view of the white stars that ringed its bell; then it crossed two tentacles before it and gave a cry that reverbed in the cave around them.

"A beast!" Kotarō growled.

Oichi's eyes swirled purple. "Rock and Poison!"

Gothitelle loosed a pulse, and Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at the beast as Zoroark, Haxorus, Bisharp, and Krookodile charged towards it. The projectile hit hard, and the beast started to ascend to get out of attack range; Zoroark seized the ridges of the cave wall's coral, climbing after it, and once he was near enough he loosed a vertical Night Daze to strike the beast. Its tentacles swung forward, and Power Gems started to manifest around it... and then Gothitelle's Future Sight bombarded it, cutting it off in mid-attack and causing it to plummet.

It had yet to even land before Krookodile lunged in and Crunched its tentacles; Haxorus bombarded it with Outrage, and as soon as the dragon mist started to subside, Krookodile flung it towards Bisharp. A wicked Night Slash ripped across its bell, and the beast cried out angrily as it tried to rise; Power Gems manifested around it again, and this time they flew towards Zoroark before it was struck - this time by Full, whose claws raked down the beast's body unchanged. In the panic of being surprised by the attacker, neither Full nor Oichi had the presence of mind to equip his disc; the attack had impact, but little in the way of damage, and the beast's attack struck Zoroark off the wall, leaving him tumbling to the floor of the cave.

The beast quickly ascended, leaving Bisharp, Krookodile, and Haxorus striking at air - and, barely, not each other. Lucario hurled another Aura Sphere at the beast - yet it _flickered out_, the attack passing through where it had been ineffectively as it vanished into thin air.

Everyone's gaze went all around, everyone panicking. "Did we finish it?" Masanori asked.

"No," Mitsunari proclaimed. "It just... fled."

"I don't think it fled," Kiyomasa insisted, "I think it was defending itself."

Kotarō growled. "What sort of defense could let the attack-?"

Oichi's scream cut everyone off; the beast had reappeared, and had **seized** her. Her grip on her staff faltered as it dragged her into the air, its tentacles curling around her possessively.

Ranmaru tried to seize her leg, tried to drag her out of its capture, and found himself forced back. "**_OICHI!_**"

Bisharp made to leap after it, but Mitsunari stopped it. "Don't! You'll hit her!"

"We've gotta do something!" Masanori yelled.

Oichi seemed to vanish into the beast's grip, and it started to _change_.

Gracia slammed her palms against each other, and the psychic energy upon them dispersed with a _crack_ that filled the cave.

"_Solgaleo!_"

The roar of the sun echoed into the cave; with a rush of radiant light, Solgaleo was suspended in the air before the beast, mane alight and void illuminated. A blazing glow manifested around him, and the beast's tentacles splayed; then he **roared**, loud enough to shake the entirety of the cave, and the beast cried out in a panic. Oichi fell from its grip, and Ranmaru caught her before she could hit the ground; sunlight surrounded Solgaleo as he charged forward, and he struck the beast with a connection like blade against stone.

The beast flew backwards into one of the tunnels along the cave walls, and went limp.

Everyone had more pressing concerns; Oichi was twitching, her mouth open and strangled cries emerging from her, her eyes closed so tight she seemed to be fighting something.

"Oichi!" Ranmaru tried to still her, panicking. "_Oichi!_"

"What's happening to her?" Okuni protested.

"She said that thing's poisonous!" Kotarō realized. "It's envenomed her!"

Ranmaru turned to her staff, lying on the floor; it was just within arm's reach, and without hesitating he reached forth, seizing it. His grip shifted up to just below the head as he brought it close to her, and water started to drip from the staff, scattering upon her face.

Oichi's eyes shot open, her mouth slammed shut, and she lurched abruptly. Ranmaru had no chance to react before she shot up from his arms, pushing him to the ground, and ran straight towards the dead-end wall. She hadn't even gotten close enough to set a hand upon it before she fell to her hands and knees, and Ranmaru closed his eyes as the sound of her retching filled the cavern, the poison being purged from her body.

When the vomiting stopped, Oichi forced herself to move aside before slumping to the ground, weak; Gracia quickly came up to her, helping her sit up, before running her psychic-coated hands down the healer's chest in an effort to ease her breathing. "Hey, hey. You alright? Talk to me. You remember me?"

"Y-Yes, Gracia," Oichi murmured. "I'm-" She closed her mouth abruptly, taking a deep breath through her nose before letting it out with a groan. "Oh, Alpha, that was awful..."

"What was that thing?" Ranmaru growled.

Solgaleo growled.

"Nihilego..." Gracia shook her head. "I never thought we'd see a beast that could _do_ something like that to a person."

Oichi raised her gaze skyward in terror. "Evia's been in **this** place? We..." She closed her eyes. "We've been searching almost a year, now... and she's had to endure that?!"

Gracia set her hands on Oichi's cheeks. "What did I tell you about blaming yourself?" she reprimanded. "You're not responsible. And now that we're here, we're gonna _help_ her, you hear me?"

"Yeah..." Oichi nodded. "Yeah, we're gonna help her."

Ranmaru handed her the staff; using it to support herself, she got to her feet. "We'll have to be duly cautious," he warned. "We can't risk one of those things taking us again."

+x+x+x+

Solgaleo again remained behind, ready to answer a call at a moment's notice; Oichi equipped Full with the Ground-type RKS disc, giving him the type advantage, and the group resumed their march, this time keeping their eyes skyward. Human disinclination to look up had endangered them once, and it wasn't about to again.

When they reached the three-way branch, they again took the next left, everyone hoping this one would bear some sort of fruit. The good news was, this one had several tunnels at ground level; the bad news, as Kotarō pointed out, was that there was barely enough room for Full to advance with his head down. They couldn't exactly make a tactical formation if they were to try and advance through them.

"Well, we've got three dead ends and no other land paths," Oichi pointed out. "We might as well take what we can get."

After some discussion, Full and Oichi elected to explore the available paths, and use the com-crystals to call the others forth once they were sure they'd found one that didn't come back to one of the other two branches of the same intersection. With Solgaleo at one branch and Lunala at the other, Oichi had no doubts as she and Full approached the end of the first one; they had gained a bit of altitude, but no so much to make their descent dangerous, and this was a fresh destination.

"We've found one," Oichi announced. "Ranmaru, you and Lucario bring up the rear."

_"Fair enough,"_ Ranmaru confirmed.

After making sure there were no Nihilego lying in wait, Full leapt down; Oichi used the coralesque formations of the walls to climb down at a slower pace, landing beside him once she was sure she could land upright. No sooner had she landed than Oichi saw something most concerning; a metal shape was lying against the wall of the cave, hooked on the ridges such that it was hidden from above.

It was a sword - it was _Evia's_ Warlord Sword.

"What the hell?" She stepped forward, taking the blade in her left hand. "No... Please don't tell me..."

A cry sounded from nearby - not the Nihilego, but something else. A powerful shine burst out from nearby, striking Full with a shimmer to it before he had the chance to retaliate. Oichi turned, holding the weapon at the ready... yet a small, pink figure was standing there, glaring at Full. It was a _Sylveon_; and when it turned towards the healer, its face subsided to one of curiosity... no, of _recognition_.

"You're... the Eevee she found," Oichi realized. "Before I left for Nixtorm."

The Sylveon nodded, giving a low cry.

"...Is Evia alright?"

* * *

Draco: Here's the battle info for the new Ultra Beast and Eeveelution.

Nihilego  
-Range: 3  
-Move: Power Gem  
-Ability: Beast Boost | Inferference

Power Gem (Rock)  
-Attack area: three tiles one square away (i.e. Venoshock)

Sylveon  
-Range:4  
-Move: Dazzling Gleam  
-Ability: Nurse | Share | Dodge  
Evolve from Eevee: Improve Link in ? ? ?

Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)  
-Attack area: three tiles in front (i.e. Icy Wind)

For Sylveon's evolution condition, see my bottomside notes on Chapter 29 discussing where the Fairy-type would fit into Ransei.


	36. Depths of Darkness: The Fallen

Draco: This is gonna hurt, guys. I'm not gonna deny it.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Depths of Darkness: The Fallen**

"What happened to _not_ wanting to split up?"

Kotarō's distasteful utterance was heard only by him and Zoroark; they had been the first ones to come out of the tunnel Oichi had gone through, only to find the open area at the other end was empty. No Oichi, and no Type: Full - the cavern didn't even have any signs that they had elected to mark the walls to even show they _had_ been there. Thankfully, the beasts were absent as well; with the amount of distrust he was on the receiving end of, the Yakshan had no intentions of getting seized by a Nihilego as Oichi had been.

Mistunari and Bisharp came out next; then Kiyomasa and Haxorus, and then Masanori and Krookodile. Okuni and Volcarona followed through, and then Gracia and Gothitelle; Ranmaru and Lucario brought up the rear, as had been requested, and as the Dragnoran regarded the empty cavern he sighed. "Oh, dear."

"Anyone wanna guess what happened?" Okuni mused as Ranmaru leapt down.

"It's obvious what happened," Gracia insisted. "She found something that said Lady Evia was close and panicked."

Ranmaru sighed, raising his com-crystal bracelet to his mouth. "Lady Oichi, respond."

Oichi's voice came through the link at rapid pace. _"Ranmaru! Guys, sorry. I thought I saw a Nihilego coming down and freaked out. You're right at the other end of the tunnel I came through, right? Me and Full and Sylveon are straight-_"

"Wait wait wait," Gracia interrupted into the line. "What do you mean, **Sylveon**?"

_"Evia made a new Link with a wild Eevee shortly before she disappeared,"_ Oichi explained. _"She must have come with her and evolved while they were gone. Look, we're straight ahead from that cavern. I don't think there have been any intersections before we came to a stop."_

Okuni spoke into her bracelet. "You said you still have Full with you, right? Is he still loaded for the type advantage?"

_"Yeah,"_ Oichi confirmed. _"What are you suggesting?"_

"A smaller group will have more mobility," Okuni pointed out. "You two should follow Sylveon - she'll be able to take you down the fastest path to where Lady Evia is, and the rest of us can come after you once you've found her."

Oichi hissed into the line. _"That's risky,"_ she pointed out. _"If I don't have anyone to watch my back, and a Nihilego comes after me..."_

"Just keep your eyes open," Ranmaru insisted. "If you and Full watch your surroundings, you'll be fine."

+x+x+x+

Oichi still wanted someone to have accompanied her - but for an entirely different reason.

When Sylveon came to a stop, after a winding path that the healer had struggled to remember the turns of, the Eeveelution gave a low cry that sounded very much like she was cursing - a sentiment that Oichi was inclined to echo. The walls in this chamber of the cave seemed to lack the same ambient glow as the paths they'd taken to come here... at least, on one side of a sizeable crystalline surface that seemed vaguely reflective. On the other side was an open area that was illuminated significantly _more_ than the paths; with the light differential, the barrier would act like a two-way mirror, giving them a view through but only offering a reflection to those on the other side.

Resting in the brighter area was what seemed to be a throne of rock; a rather low seat, broad enough to host three would they sit side-by-side, yet carved smoothly, in defiance of the coralesque formations around it. The area was wide-open, with several narrow tunnels leading to it from various altitudes; glancing around the darker area, however, made it clear that there was only one access to this side, save for a couple of openings in the ceiling that no one would be able to climb into. Oichi set her staff down and grasped the Warlord Sword two-handed, setting its tip against the crystal and applying pressure - but the motion only left a scratch, so faint that Oichi would never have noticed it if she hadn't inflicted it, and she had no faith she would be able to break this thing down herself.

With a sigh, Oichi raised her com-crystal bracelet to her mouth. "Okay, bad news," she announced. "The fastest path to where Evia is involves a room with an aggravating divider."

_"Wonderful,"_ Ranmaru muttered. _"Do you at least know the path to where you are? It might be safer for us to come to you than for you to return to us."_

"I think so," Oichi insisted. "If you start in and tell me when you reach an intersection, I should be able to-"

She cut herself off as someone stepped into the lighted room - because she knew those golden horns anywhere. Evia looked a _mess_; her skin was terribly pale from so long in this unpleasant cave, and her hair, which she had kept in elegantly long twintails since her second transformation, had been cut short and frayed, such that every strand seemed to be a different length but none of them extended past her shoulders. Her shield was nowhere to be found, and her garments were in horrible disrepair; she had nothing on her body but pauldrons and greaves, a few scraps of cloth clinging to each that weren't even enough to feign modesty, and her skin was covered in scratch wounds that Oichi could only pray were borne from the uneven walls of this place.

Oichi wouldn't have wanted to believe it was her... were it not for the ring on her right hand.

Her movements were weak as she stumbled in - not battle-weary, but **starved**. Oichi had a terrible foreboding as her weak, uneven footsteps took her up to the rocky throne; as she was getting near, Gracia's voice sounded in her ear. _"Lady Oichi!?"_

"Evia," Oichi gasped. "Evia just came into the other side of the room."

The voices coming through her earpiece vanished into white noise as Evia slumped into the seat... and a Nihilego flickered into existence before her. Oichi slammed her hand to the crystal barrier, screaming in terror as Evia slowly raised her gaze to the beast.

"...What do you want from me?"

Her voice only reached Oichi after a brief delay; sound wouldn't breach the barrier, but it echoed through the tunnels, reaching the darker room through the gaps above. Evia's voice was parched, weak, yet still had an angry edge to it as she looked at the Nihilego.

"You drove off the Pokémon I'm bonded to, but you refuse to accept my Link. You dragged me to this place, with no food, no drink, no _life_ but you. You let me roam until I don't have the strength to _walk_, when there's nowhere to go. And every time I feel Antimatter start to reach for me, you take me into your _twisted_ symbiosis. You show me visions that would make the _Newmoon Nightmare_ weep. You fill my head with a horde of _tortured voices _that last until the next. And every time I wake up, you've kept me alive."

The Nihilego crossed two tentacles before it, its cry echoing around the chamber; the Warlord closed her eyes, letting her head fall.

"Why won't you let me go?"

The beast flickered out of the air, and reappeared above her; Evia threw her head back, and her voice filled the chamber.

"_Why won't you let me die!?_"

Then the beast descended, and Evia was taken into it.

Oichi slammed her hands to the barrier. "**_EVIA!_**"

Full drove his claws into the crystal, trying to deal anything resembling noticeable damage as the Nihilego imprisoned Evia within it; its tentacles wrapped around her, defending her from whatever tried to seize her as it rose. Oichi's screams, and Full's blows, went unheard as the beast's body began to darken; the stars upon its bell vanished, leaving Evia's screaming face clear as prismatic spots appeared around her. The beast's tentacles began to merge into one another as the darkness extended across them; their fluidity ceased when there were eight sizeable lengths around Evia's body, and coloured shards began to manifest within them. Four of them each sprouted four black spikes along their curves, and they parted to reveal threatening eyes had appeared upon on side; from the other four emerged single stinger-like points, and three eyes appeared upon each as they separated as well.

Evia's body was shrouded with darkness as the changed Nihilego floated above the throne she had sat upon; then it flickered out, and took Evia with it.

"**_NO!_**" The strength left Oichi's legs, and she fell to her knees, tears streaking down her face, hands sliding down the crystal surface as Full's blows ceased. "_No! _No... Evia...!"

The footsteps charging up behind her went unheard until a hand caught her shoulder. "Oichi!" She glanced up to find Ranmaru and Lucario standing there; the others were coming in as well, all looking concerned. "What happened?"

"N-Nihilego," Oichi forced out. "Evia was right there... One of them took her! The way she spoke... They've been taking her since she got here!"

Kotarō seethed, glancing into the lighted room. "Then their toxin isn't fatal, but _torturous_," he growled. "They've made her to suffer, and don't even have the mind to speak to her over it."

"That's awful," Gracia murmured. "If Lady Evia's been hurt like that..."

"We have to find her," Oichi demanded. "It took her and vanished. We have to find her, and get her out of here!"

Okuni knelt down next to Sylveon, getting the Eeveelution's attention. "Do you know where she is?" she asked. "Can you follow the Link to her again?"

Sylveon looked uncertain.

"I'd doubt the odds of us finding another barrier quite like this," Ranmaru insisted. "Take the fastest route. If we're obstructed again, so many of us should be able to breach it where one failed."

+x+x+x+

They did indeed find themselves obstructed... but it wasn't by a barrier.

The fastest path between them and Evia took them to a room with a chasm in the center. It wasn't just a divider, either; the chamber was cut in half by the gap, but there was also a sizeable hole in the middle. The edge gaps weren't wide enough to stop them from crossing, but the opposite side was divided in three at the edges of the hole, and Sylveon's uncertainty made it clear that the center path was their destination.

"Alright," Oichi murmured. "Who has the confidence they can cross that?"

"You can't be serious," Kotarō growled.

"I am most absolutely serious," Oichi proclaimed.

Gothitelle glanced down into the hole as Okuni spoke up. "Lady Oichi, that's _way_ too dangerous. Even if Full could make that, there's no way he could do so with a passenger. None of us would be safe trying to cross."

"I don't care if it's _safe_," Oichi insisted, turning around. "If I have to climb down into that hole, stab myself on the ridges to get around, and climb back up on the other side with my hands bleeding, I'll _do_ it. I'm not leaving Evia in this hell."

"Oichi, none of us _want_ to leave her here," Ranmaru argued, "but it means nothing if you can't get there well enough to do anything. If you harm yourself trying to reach her, what happens then? The Nihilego take you as victim, this time you're alone and too weak to stop them, now you're trapped here _with_ her?"

"I..." Oichi sighed. "No, you're right."

Lucario stepped past them as Gracia stepped up, setting a hand on Oichi's staff. "You're panicking. Lady Evia was right there, and you couldn't do anything. Anyone would freak out."

"We need to find a safe way through," Okuni pointed out. "Maybe if we go around one of the other paths, then we can find an access to-"

Full's cry interrupted the Warriors; everyone turned to find Lucario seeming to stand _over the middle_ of the hole. There was an Aura Sphere between his hands, illuminating what was beneath his feet - a pillar of coralesque stone that lacked the ambient glow most of the cave had, forming the illusion of an empty pit.

"Oh, for Crescent's sake," Kotarō growled as Lucario leapt back. "Do the beasts thrive on this environ being deceptive, somehow?"

"Not important," Oichi said firmly. She threw the Warlord Sword to the opposite side, letting it clatter to the ground. "Full, Sylveon, you two go first."

Once the quadrupeds were across, the others made to do the same; Oichi insisted on going last. Kotarō, being a shinobi, had the easiest crossing; Gracia managed to get to the opposite landing without too much trouble, and Ranmaru was able to make it safely. Masanori took it at full momentum and managed to land unassisted, prompting Kiyomasa and Mitsunari to do the same; Okuni landed dangerously close to the ridge, but managed to hook her parasol on the wall long enough for her to find safer footing. Lucario, Gothitelle, and Bisharp were able to cross without too much trouble; Krookodile and Haxorus ended up seizing the ledges and pulling themselves up instead of trying to make a landing and risking a fall backwards. Volcarona was able to hop across safely, and then Oichi made to bring up the rear.

Her landing on the pillar had more momentum than she wanted, but not enough to continue to the opposite side. Panicking, her hands released her staff as she tried to balance herself, dropping to her knees to ensure she didn't fall off. No sooner had she touched down than she heard a clattering of metal against stone - and her gaze shot up as she realized her staff had fallen.

"Oh, dammit," she murmured.

"I think we can get it," Gracia insisted, "just focus on crossing."

Once Oichi was safely on the other side, Gothitelle was able to retrieve her staff - but everyone was concerned at the noticeable crack on one panel of the head, from which the water was pouring.

"That's not good," Ranmaru observed.

"No," Oichi insisted, "it wouldn't have been enough anyways. Evia's been subjected to these things too long - healing her is going to be a long, slow process." She accepted the staff from Gothitelle's psychic grip, causing it to disperse as she turned it to hold the last bit - there was enough to mind, say, a small cut, but it wasn't going to make much of a difference if Evia had been envenomed. "Come on. Let's find her - quickly."

"Agreed."

* * *

Draco: I've only ever written one story with, um... a pleasurable tinge to it (and I still have no idea why **that**, of all such stories, got taken down when there's nothing explicit about it). I have played a lack of clothing for symbolism or drama _way_ more often than I have played it for, uh... pleasure. At this point, I feel like if I were to try to write a, er... pleasurable story, I'd frick it up at some point. #FanDisservice


	37. Depths of Darkness: The Tortured

Draco: If you're the creator of a story, you do not get to control what direction that story goes in. Not completely. You can control what mood the story carries - and that can indirectly influence the direction the story takes - but you do not have control over the story itself. Now if you're _adapting_ a story to a different medium - literature to film, manga to anime, game to literation (novelization, whatever) - you do have some modicum of control over how the story is _different; _but if you're doing it because you love the story, the story itself will still go in whatever direction it pleases, influenced only by the mood with which you adapt it.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Depths of Darkness: The Tortured**

"_EVIA!_"

This time, when Sylveon led Oichi and her accompaniment to the destination, there were been no barriers taunting them. Evia was lying on the floor of a wide-open chamber, limp and motionless; Oichi rushed up to her side, her staff and Evia's blade falling to the ground beside her as she knelt down and tried to turn her wife upright.

Half of the following Warriors immediately grew uncomfortable as Evia's exact state of undress became clear; Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori all turned away. Okuni turned bright red, and even Kotarō felt disinclined to look, his eyes closing in discomfort. Ranmaru let his gaze fall, and Gracia found herself glancing aside - and she saw something lying against the wall of the cavern.

_Is that her shield?_

"Evia!" Oichi lifted her so she was sitting upright; a hand against her chest revealed a heartbeat. "Evia, wake up! Please, wake up!" One hand went for her staff, and she turned it so the last bit of water would drip out between Evia's horns; as it started to drip down her face, the Auroran's eyes started to flicker open.

"O...Oichi?"

Relief flooded the healer at that. "Evia! Oh, thank Al_phm-!_"

She was cut off as Evia pulled her close, capturing her lips in a kiss. This was no tender touch, either; there was a ferocity to the kiss, a complete lack of restraint that Oichi felt she should have anticipated after being separated for so long. For just a moment, she was satisfied to let Evia hold her, to remain there and ignore the world.

And then that moment ended.

Evia's hands shifted as she broke the kiss, and she shoved Oichi away, pulling backwards. Oichi yelped, her staff slipping out of her grip as Evia got to her feet.

"No... You're _not_..."

Oichi's gaze rose, panicking. "Evia?"

"You can't be here." Evia's voice had a violent edge to it. "Not in this place. And not..." Her gaze rose to the Warriors gathered there, and respect for her lack of decency fell to the wayside as they felt her fury. "Not with this army..."

"Evia, it's _me_." Oichi didn't want to believe this was happening. "It's _Oichi_. Please-"

"**Don't lie to me!**"

There was force in her voice as she said that; Evia took one step forward, a fierce stomp in the motion. Her heel collided with the hilt of the Warlord Sword, knocking it into the air as Oichi pushed herself to her feet, terrified; as the blade came down, Evia's hand moved, seizing the handle as the blade was point down and then bringing it before her in a ferocious swing.

"I've had enough of these _monsters_ showing me what isn't there - what _can't **be** there!_ I'm sick of watching _phantoms_ of the _people I love **torment me!**_ A fake is a **fake...**"

She raised the blade over her head.

"...and no matter how appealing it might be, _it can't compare to the real thing!_"

The blade moved down.

And a plate moved in its path.

When all was over, Gracia would have a newfound admiration for Evia's strength, that she carried this thing alongside a sword and braced it one-handed. The shield was _heavy_, and it took all of the Nixtormer's strength just to move it in the way of that sword - but that weight meant the added pressure of the blow was almost nonexistent, and Evia's sword recoiled from it roughly as Gracia turned to the fallen healer.

"Get up, Lady Oichi!"

Evia's yell warned the next blow; Gracia moved to stop it again as Oichi reclaimed her staff, and this time Ranmaru moved in to pin the Warlord Sword between his wrist-blades. Gracia flung the shield aside and struck her hands together; psychic energy wrapped them as she moved in and struck Evia's sword arm, and the numbness gave Ranmaru the leverage he needed to force the blade from her hands.

He wasn't expecting Evia to drive a furious _kick_ into his gut; he barely had time to react before she brought her elbow up and bashed it into his nose, sending him reeling. Gracia saw her next punch coming and met it in her hands - and the strike was focused in her palms, earning a yell of pain as the energy dispersed. The numbness entered one arm as it faded from the other, and Evia grabbed Gracia's arm and threw her aside before seizing her fallen blade.

Okuni moved in before she had the chance to swing it, meeting it on her closed parasol and bashing the hook into her chest. Without garments to shield her - and the armour they usually carried - Evia had the wind knocked out of her; Okuni hooked the hilt and tried to sweep it out of her grip, only for Evia to halt the motion in mid-swing and drive a knee into the wanderer's stomach, leaving her grip the one to falter as she tumbled aside.

"Masanori's Kanabo attack!

Evia moved her sword to meet the swing - but the weight of the kanabo that struck it meant she was only disarmed from the force of the strike alone. Masanori let his weapon continue into the cave floor before making to sweep it towards Evia's legs; the Auroran leapt over the second swing, letting it pass beneath her before driving her knee into Masanori's stomach. As his kanabo was released, Kiyomasa brought the shaft of his scythe-spear down on her leg, hoping to strike a nerve; Evia only brought her hand down and seized the shaft before he could draw it away, wrenching it from his hands and then bashing him with the end before bringing the blade forward to strike Mitsunari's iron-plated folding fan from his hands.

Kotarō lunged forward as Mitsunari stumbled away; his claws hooked on the blade of Kiyomasa's weapon, and he managed to wrench it out of Evia's hands - being as she was unused to a spear, it was an easier matter to force her grip off the end of a narrow shaft than a sword with a pommel to stop it from sliding out of her hands. Evia dove under the next blow he went for, seizing her fallen sword in retaliation; when she made to strike him, Kotarō crossed his claws before his chest and trapped the tip between them, halting her thrust when the breadth of the blade drew wider than the gap in his edges.

The Yakshan started as he realized that he had defended his body and _met the blow_ \- which meant Evia was going for the kill.

She pulled her blade from the join and meant to swing at his head; Kotarō swept the edge aside before bringing his claws towards the hilt with intent to pry her grip free. Evia twisted into a spinning blow, prompting Kotarō to duck under the swing; he lashed his sabatons at the leg Kiyomasa had struck, causing her to fall to one knee before he brought his knee up on her sword arm. His attempt to falter her grip on the sword fell flat when she moved the blade in its path, leaving his knee connecting with the flat of the blade, and she promptly rose with a skyward swing; Kotarō managed to avoid the blow, only for it to pry one set of claws off his hand.

For a moment, her furious rage seemed to subside; she swept the remaining pair off his other hand, and drove a kick into his stomach to knock him to the floor.

Then it returned, and she made to advance on him before Oichi stood in her path. The healer struck Evia's sword aside with a turn of her staff; when the blade came down towards her, Oichi braced her staff above her, finding herself fighting against the pressure as Evia tried to force her down.

"This... isn't... you," Oichi forced out. "Please, Evia... I know this isn't you!"

Even weakened as she was, Evia still had more strength; the healer could feel her stance faltering.

"This isn't the Warlord who stopped Nobunaga..."

Oichi fell to one knee, trying desperately to fight back.

"This isn't the woman who earned my love..."

Evia started to turn the blade against her staff, forcing the tip towards her helm.

"...This isn't the Warrior... who duelled with Arceus."

The moment she said the Alpha's name, Evia's expression changed. The pressure faltered on her blade; Oichi forced it aside, and her fingers slacked on it without resistance. The Auroran stumbled back, shocked, and her eyes widened as she gazed at the healer kneeling before her; her staff was set against the ground as she tried to catch her breath, looking up at the Warlord before her.

"...Oichi?"

A desperate smile rose on Oichi's face, and she shot to her feet, seizing Evia in a tight hug. "You're still a demon."

"...And you're still a goddess," Evia gasped.

After a moment, Oichi pulled back, drawing off her outer layer and wrapping it around Evia. "What the hell happened to your clothes?" she asked. "Here, wear this until-"

A reverberating cry got everyone's attention. The Warriors, all battered from trying to fight the maddened Evia, panicked and tried to reclaim their weapons; their Pokémon, who hadn't dared interfere in the fight to right her mind, immediately charged forward. A Nihilego was descending; Oichi quickly dragged Evia away as it descended, its tentacles reaching towards them as they got just out of range.

"Dammit!"

Zoroark charged forward and leapt at the beast, darkness gathering around it for a Night Daze. The beast swooped out of the axis the attack was coming at, and Power Gems manifested around it; Gothitelle didn't even have time to ready a pulse before they soared towards her, striking her to the floor. Bisharp, Haxorus, and Krookodile charged at it, but it only flickered out before they were close enough to strike, reappearing over Kotarō; the shinobi leapt aside before it could descend on him, and as Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at it, it swooped around.

"What the hell?!" Oichi screeched. "The last one was nothing like this!"

"This thing's been tormenting me since I got here," Evia forced out. "It's been making me face phantoms when it takes me - with _itself_ acting in lieu of my Link! It was **learning** from me!"

Ranmaru reached for his necklace. "Then let's give it something you've never faced!"

Prismatic light encased Lucario, and then shattered to reveal the changes upon him; he seemed to vanish from where he had been standing, reappearing in the air before the Nihilego, and it had no chance to move before he bombarded its bell with Close Combat. As his momentum carried him away, Type: Full charged forward; he leapt at the beast, dirt trailing his claws, and brought them down hard, sending it to the ground.

That was all the vulnerability they needed; Volcarona leapt forward before it could tumble away, stopping it on a Fiery Dance that bombarded it from all sides. Lucario hurled another Aura Sphere at it, sending it reeling past as the last embers faded; that put it in range for Bisharp to rush at its soaring form and stop it on a Night Slash. Haxorus bombarded it with Outrage before it could right itself, and Krookodile Crunched it as the dragon mist was fading, throwing the beast into the air.

The Nihilego flickered out in mid-flight - and reappeared above Oichi and Evia.

Evia panicked, pushing Oichi aside as the beast started to descend; no one had the time to send an attack its way before it encompassed the Auroran, earning a scream of pain as it enveloped her once again.

Gracia swore, striking her hands together for a _crack_ as the psychic wrap faded.

"_Lunala!_"

The screech of the moon echoed into the cave; with a surge of brilliant light, Lunala was suspended in the air before the beast, wings alight and void illuminated. The beast hadn't even begun to darken before a chilling glow manifested around her; she **screeched**, loud enough to rattle the fallen weapons, and the Nihilego gave a cry of futile defiance. Evia was released, and Oichi caught her once again as the beast tried to flee; but moonlight surrounded Lunala, and surged forward in a blinding pulse, striking the beast with an impact like a specter's fury.

The Nihilego was flung into the wall of the cave, and slumped to the ground.

Oichi glared, sweeping her hand towards it; and Type: Full charged towards the already-unconscious Nihilego as he had tried to do to every beast as Type: Null. Warriors and Pokémon turned away as he leapt towards the beast once again, claws surging with energy.

One set was swung through its tentacles.

Another was brought down on its bell.

Evia's gasps drew Oichi's attention back to her; she was fighting to move, and the healer quickly pulled her close, wrapping her carefully. "No, no, no," she insisted. "Don't move - not so quickly."

"We have to go," Gracia realized. "Solgaleo!"

"Not back to Ransei," Oichi insisted, raising her gaze as Solgaleo appeared in the cavern as well. "Take us to Nagamasa's castle."

"...Okay," Gracia confirmed. "The guy with the Sea Princess."

Solgaleo nodded, his mane shining as his void, too was illuminated. He turned and roared, and the gate appeared upon the cavern wall; Oichi quickly picked up Evia in her arms as Lunala soared in, and the healer dashed in immediately after her, followed quickly by Sylveon.

Kotarō, Lucario, Okuni, Kiyomasa, Gothitelle, Haxorus, Ranmaru, Mitsunari, Zoroark, Krookodile, Volcarona, Masanori, Bisharp, Type: Full; Gracia brought up the rear, Oichi's staff in her hands, and then Solgaleo leapt in after her.

* * *

Draco: After so many fights between Pokémon with only passive Warrior involvement, it was nice to have a fight between Warriors with no Pokémon involvement.


	38. Forsaken Lands: Recovery & Recuperation

Draco: People making jackass remarks about games without considering the developer's side of the story has officially become my #BerserkButton. Doubly so if said remarks are in blatant ignorance of official statements.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ultra Kingdom - Forsaken Lands: Recovery and Recuperation**

"_Vos autem voluistis ad horam rursus ad odium. Una pugna iter ad eam non occidere._"

Nagamasa often came out to see his Warriors off when they departed for training - and frequently found them asking him to accompany him, no matter how often he gave them his reasons for staying behind. "_Quod est diversum. Et profecti sunt ad fortes illius qui timebunt Oichi qui per eos transeat. Non potui tantum_..."

The Warlord trailed off as he saw something appearing just outside the rocky walls that surrounded the castle - a seam of light, all too familiar. He started, making to defend himself, and his Warriors turned towards it, each reaching for their weapons as it was thrown wide into the form of a gate. Everyone stood stalwart, waiting to see what would emerge - and none of them were expecting a quadrupedal figure with the radiance of the sun.

Nagamasa gasped in surprise, a hand going to his mouth. "_Solis?_"

He barely had time to recognize the presence of the Legendary Pokémon standing there him before someone else emerged. It was Oichi - she had shed a layer of garments, which was currently wrapping someone held in her arms as she dashed out. She squinted for a moment, as though unused to the light, and a small pink Pokémon had come out beside her before she saw the Warriors - and Warlord - standing there. "Nagamasa!"

"_Oichi!_" Nagamasa stepped forward. "_Quid accidit?_"

"Sorry," Oichi said quickly dashing forward, "I can't talk right now. I've got to get her to water. I'll meet you at Manaphy's basin."

She ran straight past him and headed inside the castle, drawing Nagamasa's attention after her as the pink Pokémon pursued. "_Qui- Manaphy?_"

His Warriors lowering their weapons drew his attention back to the gate; Oichi's allies and their Pokémon were coming out through the gate as well. The large, changing Pokémon that had saved him after his ill-fated leap to the sky garden was the last one to emerge before Gracia came out, holding Oichi's staff - then a winged figure soared out of the gate with all the grace of the moon.

"_Lunam tum?_"

Gracia turned to the two Legendary Pokémon as the gate vanished. "I'm gonna go after Lady Oichi," she insisted, "you two rest up."

Lunala looked down towards her accusingly.

"I **know**," Gracia insisted, rolling her eyes, "but that doesn't mean you don't deserve a rest!" Everyone else was still adjusting to the light as she turned around, seeing the Warriors in front of the gates looking befuddled, and she quickly dashed up to the Warlord. "Nagamasa! Where'd Oichi go?"

"_Oichi?_" Nagamasa pointed into the castle. "_Dixit aliquid de Manaphy..._"

"With Manaphy? Okay." Gracia dashed past him without another word.

Nagamasa glanced at the remaining arrivals before throwing up his hands and shaking his head. "_Si esurierit cibum facito_," he told his Warriors, who nodded; then he followed Gracia into the castle.

+x+x+x+

Oichi had felt _very_ stupid when Gracia had arrived, holding her staff, while she was lying Evia down next to the castle's basin. Oichi accepted it gratefully and set it into the water, making sure the crack on one panel was facing upward as Evia started to open her eyes.

"...Oichi?" she murmured.

"I'm here," Oichi insisted. "I'm gonna help you, okay? But it's gonna hurt, I'm not gonna lie."

Evia closed her eyes. "...I trust you," she forced out."

Nagamasa came out into the basin while Oichi was bringing her staff from the water - and immediately turned a bright red, turning away, at the sight of Evia's skyclad form. Oichi seized the staff near the head and brought it over Evia, water starting to flow from it and falling over her form; as it started to flow down her sides, the cuts that covered her body gradually started to close. Evia's eyes closed tight, and she opened her mouth, crying out in pain.

"She's not gonna throw up like you did, is she?" Gracia asked.

"No, I don't think so," Oichi admitted. "That was a lot more timely; the toxins hadn't taken root, yet. Evia's been subjected to those things for... _Alpha_." She shook her head. "Is this even going to be enough?"

A quiet cry from nearby drew the Warriors' attention; Manaphy had come to the water's edge, and was looking at them curiously. "What wrong?"

"Manaphy..." Gracia stepped forward. "She's hurt - she's been poisoned by the beast in the world we found her. We're trying to help her, but..."

The Sea Princess turned back to Evia. "...Put in," she told Oichi.

"What?" Oichi turned to her. "But if I try and submerge her like this, she'll-"

"Put in!" Manaphy insisted. "Heal!"

"You can heal her?" Oichi hesitated for just a moment longer before getting to her feet. "Alright, then..."

She cast off her clothes until she was just in her underthings, sure she wouldn't sink; then she slipped into the water, and carefully lifted Evia from the rim, slowly lowering her in.

Manaphy came up on Evia's other side once she was in the water, and looked to Oichi. "Down," she instructed.

"You're sure?"

"_Down!_"

Oichi bit her lip, uncertain; then she took a deep breath, and slowly submerged herself and Evia. The saltwater of the basin stung somewhat at her eyes, but Oichi kept them open, not wanting to look away; once they were submerged, Manaphy swam up to Evia, set her hands on the Warlord's chest, and closed her eyes.

The tips of her hair-antennae glowed once again, much more vibrant beneath the water - and Oichi watched, amazed, as a pink light started to gather around her, and one around Evia. The Sea Princess drifted backwards, eyes still closed, and her hair swept upwards as her momentum faded out; the lights separated from her and Evia, and slowly moved in a broad circle between them, coming to a stop upon each other.

Evia's eyes opened abruptly, and she lurched, breath passing out of her mouth; Manaphy winced, pulling back and twisting uncomfortably as an unpleasant pallor washed over her. Oichi quickly rose back up, breaching the surface and lifting Evia where she could breathe air; the Warlord took a deep breath, coughing, as Oichi set her upon the rim again and descended once more. Manaphy's eyes had opened, though she still looked pained - but as Oichi started to approach, she shook her head and called out through the water, "Don't!"

Oichi watched, terrified as Manaphy closed her eyes... and her body slowly started to return to its own colour.

Breathing a sigh of relief as she rose, Oichi surfaced again, taking a deep breath as she swam to the rim. Evia's eyes were open now, and Oichi pulled herself up, kneeling beside her wife. "Evia..."

"What...?" Evia turned to her. "Oichi... did you...?"

The healer shook her head. "Not exactly," she insisted. "But... you're not quite alright yet. You need rest - a _lot_ of rest. We're not going anywhere until you're alright, you hear me?"

"...Yeah," Evia murmured. "That... sounds fair..."

She closed her eyes again, and Oichi turned to the water; Manaphy had surfaced again, and though she didn't look quite so sickly, she still didn't quite look alright. "What did you do?" she asked.

"Poison hurt," Manaphy said weakly. "Take hurt, give me... and take me, give her." She made an exchanging motion with her arms to try and better explain what happened.

"You took the poison from her... and put it in you?" Oichi gasped. "But-"

Manaphy shook her head. "Fine," she insisted. "Just... stay water, long time. Feel better sleep."

Oichi sighed. "If you're sure," she conceded. "But... at least let me try to speed it up."

She reached in and set her hand in the water - and the ripples that parted from her touch carried a glow to them. Manaphy closed her eyes as a soft light washed over her; when it faded, she glanced over herself before looking up to Oichi. "Huh...?"

"Little bit of Warrior power from Ransei," Oichi replied. "It works better for wounds than it does for something like this... but it should at least speed up the process." She bowed her head with a smile. "Sleep well, Manaphy."

Manaphy nodded, smiling; then she descended into the water, and Oichi watched as she swam deeper into the basin.

A strike of flesh-on-flesh drew Oichi's attention; Nagamasa was pulling his hand back, and Gracia set hers on the floor beside Evia. "Don't touch her horns," she reprimanded.

+x+x+x+

The Sea Princess' promise hadn't been false; she was in fine condition after less than a week of sleeping in the basin. Evia wasn't such a quick process; all she needed after Manaphy's favour was an extended period of rest - and plenty of food and water - but it took a few days before she was able to stay awake longer than it took to have a small meal, and a couple weeks before she had been able to even sit up and move her legs.

Oichi hadn't left the castle before Evia had any meaningful period of consciousness - hadn't even left the room except when necessary - but once the Auroran was awake long enough to be sure, she encouraged Oichi to go out and explore a bit. "You're not going to make me heal faster just standing here," Evia observed.

"I'm allowed to worry about you, Evia," Oichi argued.

"I know," Evia insisted, "but I'm not going anywhere. You should go out, explore a bit. The others are, aren't they?"

"Still..."

Evia shook her head. "You're the one who said I'm getting better every day," she observed. "Look, I feel better than I have in... I don't even know how long. You don't need to worry about me."

"...Alright," Oichi conceded. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

+x+x+x+

Kotarō and Zoroark arrived in the cave as requested to find Oichi, Ranmaru, Gracia, Lucario, Gothitelle, and Solgaleo standing there. "And to what do I owe this summons?" he asked once he was sure there were no wild Pokémon lurking in wait.

"Everyone who went missing is accounted for," Oichi observed. "As soon as Evia is safe, we're going to head back to Ransei. The journey is over - or, as good as over. If you're willing, I'm ready to release you from your vow."

"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Is that so?"

Gracia clapped her hands together, and they were wrapped in psychic power. "And if you try something when she lets you go, Solgaleo's gonna open a gate to that nest with the Naganadel, and we're all gonna throw you in."

The Yakshan shook his head. "Still so distrustful," he observed.

Ranmaru sighed. "Just remove your weapons, and kneel."

Kotarō pulled his claws from his hands and set them upon the floor of the cave before falling to one knee and joining his hands; Oichi stepped forward, and set two fingers upon his shoulder.

"I am Oichi of Dragnor. With Antimatter as my witness, I release you from your sacred vow to serve me, in battle, out of battle. Henceforth, you answer only to those of your own choosing - until the day the Distortion World takes you."

Sixty seconds passed as they stood there, with no noise in the cave but the distant sounds of wild Pokémon from deeper inside; then Oichi lifted her hand and stepped past him.

To Ranmaru's amazement, Kotarō made no fast movements; when Nobunaga had done the same, the Yakshan had gone for his claws and very narrowly been disarmed in mid-strike by an expectant Mitsuhide. Rather, he only picked up his weapons and glanced towards Oichi. "When will we be departing?"

"When Evia is rested," Oichi proclaimed. "No sooner."

As she stepped out of the cave, Ranmaru crossed his arms. "The threat stands," he warned.

"Crescent Calm, you lot are paranoid..."

+x+x+x+

By the time three weeks had passed since their return, Evia was able to walk long enough to make a short trip; she, Sylveon, Oichi, and Type: Full paid a visit to the top of the ravine, looking out on the otherworld they stood in.

"This is amazing," Evia murmured. "If it weren't for the Pokémon in this place, I would swear we were already back in Ransei."

"Nagamasa thinks this place might have been designed as a safe haven," Oichi mused. "A place for Pokémon lost in otherworlds to live safely, if they can't return. And that someone made that castle to give humans the same boon."

Evia sighed. "You said that guy came from... some island?"

"A small little shore with nothing but one village of a hundred and fifty," Oichi confirmed. "Can't even imagine what it must have been like."

"Did you ask if he wanted to go back?" Evia asked, turning to her. "With them being able to-"

"I did ask," Oichi confirmed. "But... he said he barely remembers his home. He'd rather not go back, and see what's happened to it in the meantime."

"I suppose that's fair," Evia conceded. "What about taking him back to Ransei?"

Oichi giggled briefly. "Setting aside the language barrier," she observed, "he... he said he's happy here. Him as his Warriors have been here since they were children - and they'd rather stay here."

"That's their choice, I guess," Evia admitted, turning back to the view.

As the sun started to set, the two of them made to return to the castle - but Oichi hesitated when she saw Full remaining, with his eyes on the horizon. With a quiet sigh, she stepped up to him, setting a hand on his mane.

"You'd be happy here, too, wouldn't you," she observed.

Full gave a quiet cry, closing his eyes.

"You were made to be a beast killer," Oichi whispered, running a finger over his RKS slot. "But... that doesn't mean you have to be. If you want to stay here - to live peacefully - you're welcome to."

The Synthetic Pokémon turned to her.

Oichi shook her head. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "You helped me save my friends. That's more than I could have asked for. When I found you, all I wanted was to learn more - and to make sure you weren't suffering. Now I know - and now you're not suffering. It's your choice."

She set her forehead against the base of his plume; then the two of them started down the ravine, where Evia and Sylveon were waiting.

+x+x+x+

"Here we go, then..."

The sun was starting to set in the distance, and the moon was out. With Evia fully rested (and still wearing the outermost layer of Oichi's ensemble), the Ranseans were ready to return home; everyone had made their personal preparations, and now they all stood just outside the stone walls that surrounded the castle. Type: Full and his RKS discs had been entrusted to Nagamasa's care; Ranmaru and Lucario had hidden their stones where they wouldn't be mocked if Nōhime was part of the welcome-home party; and Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori had their weapons trained on Kotarō to stop him from trying anything.

Gracia clapped her hands over her head, dispersing the psychic energy with a _crack_ \- and with a rush of light, Lunala and Solgaleo appeared before her. The Nixtormer smiled, lowering her hands. "Homeward bound, you two," she told them. "Rested up enough?"

Solgaleo gave an amused-sounding growl.

"I just don't wanna be insensitive," Gracia laughed. "Alright, if you're-"

"_Manare!_"

The yell from behind drew everyone's attention; Nagamasa was running towards them. Oichi and Evia stepped forward to meet him; the healer was surprised to see Manaphy was in his arms as he got close. "What's this about?"

Nagamasa skidded to a stop as he got close, panting from the sprint. "_Manaphy... vult tecum vadat_," he gasped.

"Manaphy?" Oichi looked to the Sea Princess. "What's this about?"

"Come with," Manaphy pleaded.

Evia blinked. "You want to... come with us?"

"Mhm." Manaphy nodded. "Oichi... home ocean?"

"Um... yeah," Oichi confirmed. "Our home has oceans."

Manaphy beckoned to herself. "Home, too."

Oichi gasped. "You... came from our world," she realized. Then, glancing at Nagamasa; "Are you sure...?"

Nagamasa raised his hand, shaking his head. "_Non mea, qua venit, est decernere._"

"Papa okay," Manaphy assured her. "Full happy. Want come with."

Evia smiled. "If you like," she insisted, "you can come with."

She held out her hands; Manaphy leapt from Nagamasa's arms to hers, and the Warlord bowed lightly. "_Optima fortuna, Oichi. Manaphy... Vale._"

"_Vale, Papa,_" Manaphy returned.

She, Evia, and Oichi turned back to Gracia; Gracia nodded, and as she turned back to Solgaleo and Lunala, both of them illuminated. The two turned around, and the gate opened before them; Lunala soared in, and the Ranseans began to follow suit.

* * *

Draco: I've been keeping a tally. Total elapsed time in Ultra Space as of the end of this chapter = 10 months, give or take a few days for the irregular gates.


	39. Ransei: Homeward Bound

Draco: Deliberately didn't upload this on Wednesday because there was no way I was gonna let an emotional ending get missed because of April Fool's Day. You guys don't mind an emotional ending, do you?

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

* * *

**Ransei: Homeward Bound**

"When you marched up to my front door and demanded I take you to the battlefield for right of the kingdom... I confess I expected you to march on Ransei entire, with intent to summon Infinity."

Mitsuhide sighed, turning away from the shallow cave where the tower would stand. He and Lapras had come here every day, and observed the cavern from thirty paces; now Nobunaga and Hydreigon were approaching, and the Warlord was unarmed. "Did you think I would do that while she was gone?" the Nixtormer argued.

Nobunaga shook his head. "If all you'd wanted was to be able to wait here every day, and greet her when she returned," he observed, "you could have simply asked that I watch Nixtorm in your absence."

"...I suppose my thoughts were a bit... clouded," Mitsuhide admitted.

"You've every right to be worried for her," Nobunaga assured him.

"Don't say that like _you're_ **not**," Mitsuhide reprimanded; he dismounted Lapras, his hand going for his katana. "Your junior Warlord and your sister have been missing for almost a year, now. Gone through a gate to another world with no certainty they'll ever come back, and you-"

"It is _because_ my junior Warlord and my sister have been gone that I **am** certain they'll come back," Nobunaga interrupted. "It is in holding confidence in their eventual return that they will find their way back to Ransei."

"_You don't know that,_" Mitsuhide growled bitterly. "It's miracle enough that no one else has gone missing. Those _invaders_ might well be appearing less frequently, but that only means more of them have remained where they are! For all we know, they could have been in the blasts of that headless performer from Nixtorm, or buried under the bricks of that stone box, and we'd not even have anything to bury! We'd not even know to burn pyres in their names!"

"And what would you do, if you were certain they were gone?" Nobunaga hadn't raised his voice, but the retort had force to it all the same. "Would you unite the region as Evia did, and ask the Alpha to bring her back?" He started to step forward. "Would you claw your way to Distortion, and demand Antimatter return her to you?" Mitsuhide couldn't bring himself to draw his blade. "Would you let your grief overtake you, and fall into the Umbra of your heart because you had no family to stop you?"

The Dragnoran came to a halt as he stood before Mitsuhide, close enough that a sword could not be held between them.

"Or would you burn down the castle with Nobunaga inside, because I told you to respect her wishes, and that meant the enemy... was in Dragnor?"

Mitsuhide's grip faltered on his weapon's hilt, and he stumbled back, his head falling. "I... I'm sorry..."

"You have every right to be worried," Nobunaga repeated. "But that doesn't mean you should not have faith. Believe that she will return, and she shall. I swear it."

He turned away and started to retreat towards the castle, Hydreigon hovering at his side; with a heavy heart, Mitsuhide made to follow.

And Lapras cried out to get their attention - a moment before they heard a sound like crystal breaking.

In the cave where the Tower of Infinity would stand, a void of light had appeared - the same gate that Oichi, Ranmaru, and Gracia had gone through before. Mitsuhide had only a moment to regard it before a winged figure emerged from it; a pteropus figure that shone like the moon, with gold ridges like crescents upon its wings and tail. As it soared upward to clear the path, Lapras and Hydreigon were prepared to fight... but then two more figures emerged from the gate, these ones earthbound.

A Gothitelle... and a girl in a top hat.

"Father!"

"Gracia!" Concern vanished in an instant, and relief took its place; Mitsuhide dashed forward, and Gracia rushed up to meet him in a joyful hug.

The next pair of individuals were similarly familiar - a Lucario who looked relieved to see his surroundings, and a young man wearing blades in imitation - and Nobunaga stepped forward. "Ranmaru!"

"Lord Nobunaga!" Ranmaru stepped up to him. "Forgive me if I've worried you."

A Zoroark came through the gate, looking stiff somehow; and behind him, Kotarō of Yaksha emerged, hands raised in surrender. On seeing the Warlords who stood there, a bitter smirk rose on his face. "Ha... Forced in at bladepoint, and warmongers on the other side."

"No talkin' smack about the Fool of Dragnor!" The voice revealed someone else had come out behind Kotarō; the trio of troublemakers who had served as Evia's battle escorts in her first conquest, with a Krookodile, Bisharp, and Haxorus following close behind.

Mitsunari smacked Masanori in the back of the head. "Calling him the 'Fool of Dragnor' is talking smack about the Fool of Dragnor."

Kiyomasa shook his head as they stepped away from the gate. "Can't say he's never done anything to deserve it," he mused.

A parasol was being held before the next figure to step out of the gate; as a Volcarona emerged behind her, Okuni lifted it over her shoulder to see the Warlords who were waiting for her. "Lord Nobunaga, Lord Mitsuhide." She curtsied lightly. "It's so wonderful to see you again."

"I take it your wanderings have led you somewhere most unwelcome," Nobunaga hypothesized.

"My 'wanderings' had nothing to do with it," Okuni retorted - but she had a smile on her face.

As she and Volcarona descended from the cave, a pink figure leapt in; Mitsuhide was surprised as the Sylveon looked around and gave a cheerful cry. Then two more figures stepped out - Evia emerged from the gate with a blue Pokémon in her arms, wearing the heaviest layer of Oichi's dress, and behind her, the healer stepped out, staff in hands.

"Oichi!" Nobunaga called. "Evia!"

"Brother," Evia returned.

A quadrupedal figure landed behind them - a leonine figure that shone like the sun, with a mane lined with gold - and as the gate vanished, the Warriors stepped out of the cave where Infinity would stand.

"Welcome back," Mitsuhide greeted.

"I could hear that from Antimatter itself," Evia insisted, "and I would still say I'm glad to be back."

+x+x+x+

There was a banquet at Dragnor as the Warriors shared the stories of what had happened beyond the gate; Nōhime was in the castle when they got there, and Kotarō only joined the festivities reluctantly, at Zoroark's behest. The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon when Oichi, Evia, Sylveon, and Manaphy were the first to head home, with Evia's sword and shield in a case for easy transport on the way home.

"You've no need to depart so soon," Nobunaga insisted.

"You're too kind, Brother," Evia observed.

A chuckle from Nobunaga. "After worrying for you so long," he observed, "feeling you unnerve me with that address is a welcome sensation."

Oichi shook her head. "Wigglytuff and Glaceon will still be waiting for us," she explained. "We really shouldn't keep them any longer than we already have."

Mitsuhide reached into his pocket. "On the subject of those waiting," he admitted, "Motonari left something at Dragnor to be given to you once you'd returned."

He tossed the package to Evia, who caught it gratefully; it was a small box, with a folded card taped to its surface. "Thank you."

The two Warriors and their Pokémon boarded the blimp, and it started to soar to Aurora. As they sat down, Oichi set Manaphy down and glanced at the box. "What in Distortion would Motonari leave for you to receive while you were **missing**?" she wondered.

Evia pulled the card from the box, opening it; the Greenleafer had very precise handwriting that was surprisingly legible on such a small card, and she read the contents aloud. "_Lady Evia. My studies on this have borne much fruit. I hope dearly for the chance to share the results with you. Motonari._" Manaphy seized the arm of her chair and pulled herself up to get a look as she set the card down and opened the box.

Inside was a small sphere, segmented across the center with a button of sorts at one point, coloured crimson across the top and white across the bottom.

And the sight of it sent a strange sadness coursing through the Sea Princess.

+x+x+x+

"So, they come back, yet?"

The voice from the entrance had Glaceon breathing a chilly sigh through a mouthful of Ponigiri; he and Wigglytuff turned to find Hideyoshi and Infernape standing at the battlefield entrance. The Ignisan had come by almost every week since Oichi had departed - and with both ruling and junior Warlords absent, he had refused to challenge them for the kingdom, instead returning to Ignis.

At Glaceon's glare, Hideyoshi shook his head. "Yeah, I _know_ the letter says I can fight you without them," he insisted. "But it just..." He pulled his three-piece staff off his back, turning it in hand one way and then the other. "It doesn't feel right, facing Pokémon for the kingdom when the Warlord's not around. It makes me feel cheap."

Wigglytuff gave an irritable cry.

"Of course I don't mean it like that!" Hideyoshi insisted. "I know how it's gonna go, me and Infernape are gonna shut him down, then you're gonna kick our asses." Glaceon opened his mouth as though to protest, and then shied away in concession as the Ignisan separated the segments of his weapon and braced them against the chain. "But me swinging this thing at you guys just feels mean and unnecessary. I'm not gonna do that to you."

Glaceon hummed in consideration.

Hideyoshi scoffed. "Yeah, but that's _Shingen and Kenshin_," he retorted, "you can't make calls based on those two."

Infernape yelped, slapping Hideyoshi in the side to get his attention. The Warlord turned, confused - and when he saw the blimp flying towards them, he turned back to the other two. "Hey, hey, speak of Antimatter!"

Wigglytuff and Glaceon traded looks before dashing out of the battlefield; Hideyoshi and Infernape elected to follow them to the landing zone. The doors were open almost before the airship had touched down - and the Warlords inside had smiles on their faces as they stepped out. Something was sitting in Oichi's arms, which were poised as though hiding it.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Hideyoshi greeted. "Looks who's back!" Then, as he realized what they were wearing; "Woah, what happened in nowhere, cutie?"

Evia glared and made to wind back her weapons case.

Hideyoshi raised his hands in surrender - which is slightly less effective with a weapon in your hands, but the point was made. "Sorry, sorry," he insisted, "we already established I'm not supposed to call either of you cutie."

The two Warlords made their way down the ramp as Glaceon and Wigglytuff came up. "Hey, you two," Oichi greeted. "You been doing alright?"

Wigglytuff was fine; Glaceon _leapt_ when he saw Evia, and the Warlord barely having time to drop her case and catch him to avoid getting knocked to the ground. "Woah," she murmured, "hey. I'm so sorry for what happened."

Glaceon landed and gave a cry of acceptance. As Evia picked her case back up, Glaceon's attention was turned to the pink figure coming down the ramp behind her; Sylveon stepped up awkwardly, looking nervous.

There was a moment of confrontation; then Glaceon nodded, nuzzling up in appreciation.

Sylveon cheered happily as Oichi turned to the Ignisan. "Don't tell me you've been sitting pretty in the castle while I've been gone."

"I wasn't gonna do that without the right!" Hideyoshi retorted. "I've been coming by every so often waiting to see when you two got back."

"I **did** say you could-" Oichi was cut off by Wigglytuff's cry, glancing at her and then back to Hideyoshi. "Why wouldn't you fight if you knew it was valid?"

Hideyoshi shook his head. "I don't want to fight you because I want the kingdom," he insisted, "I wanna fight you because I want to _fight you two_ again."

Evia nodded. "Fair enough. You in the mood for a late night?"

"Sure," Hideyoshi conceded, "but what about them?"

Glaceon and Wigglytuff looked uncertain. Sylveon gave a cheer, and Evia nodded. "Maybe," she conceded. "Give me a sec to get changed."

"You had anyone coming with you?" Oichi asked. "I can let you two have a one-on-one if you're on your own."

"Like you're gonna fight me if Wigglytuff ain't in an excitable mood," Hideyoshi accused.

"Maybe she doesn't want to," Oichi admitted, "but we've got someone else who'd be up for it."

She shifted her arms to reveal the sleeping figure between them. "If I were inclined to wake a Princess, anyways."

+x+x+x+

"Okuni? Are you quite alright?"

Nōhime's voice coming into the bathroom had Okuni breathing a sigh of relief from her position in the furo. "I'm fine, Lady Nō."

She'd anticipated this well enough; her clothes were folded and up against the wall, along with her parasol, and thus were not a tripping hazard as Nō stepped in, her dress singing as she moved. "Are you sure?" she asked. "You've been in here for a couple of hours, and..."

The Spectran trailed off as her foot collided with something; her gaze fell to the floor of the shower area, where she was mildly concerned to find several soap bottles scattered before her. After a moment, her gaze went to the shelves, which caused her concern to grow when she found they were completely _empty_. Okuni took a deep breath, shifting her position in the furo as she raised a hand before her to find her fingers had earned a good deal of wrinkles from her time in the water.

Nō took a deep breath. "Okuni?"

The wanderer turned to her Warlord. "Yes, Lady Nō?"

"Would you care to explain why you've used up several dozen bottles of body soap and shampoo over the course of a single shower?" Nō demanded.

"...Because I spent four months in a forest with abusive beasts that exploit those affected by their pheromones," Oichi observed, "and another... seven travelling between the habitats of other beasts, some of which were less-than-favourable for Volcarona and I to fight."

With a concerned sigh, Nō glanced at the bottles again. "Am I to understand that you've had some... experiences that have left you feeling like you would never be clean again?" she asked, worry in her voice.

Oichi hummed thoughtfully. "...I wouldn't say that," she admitted. "It just felt so nice to actually clean myself properly that I didn't really want to stop."

"Well then." There was a threatening smile on Nō's face as she spoke once more. "When you're done, you'll meet me in the dungeons." She turned and started out of the bathroom.

"You have no idea how nice it feels for that to actually be a _possibility_ again," Okuni observed.

Nō halted at the doorway; when she turned to face Okuni, there was a softer smile on her face - a joyful smile. "I suppose I don't."

+x+x+x+

"I do wish Lady Oichi had chosen something a little more low-profile."

Ranmaru and Lucario were up early the next morning; while Nobunaga was asleep, they had collected their stones and returned to the junior Warlord's chamber, and were currently contemplating what do with them. Lucario had managed to free Ranmaru's stone from the necklace Oichi had fashioned; the mounted pocket was an easier matter, needing only to open the pocket and pull out the jewel.

With a hum, Ranmaru held the larger stone in his hand. "What are we to do with these?"

Lucario gave an inquisitive growl.

"Well, of course they've been _useful_," Ranmaru insisted, "but they see a little overt. To use that... power in amicable battles here in Ransei would be unnecessary."

The Aura Pokémon shot him a look.

Ranmaru rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Kotarō_ would deserve it," he admitted, "but we're more than capable of overpowering him without it."

With a sigh, Lucario took his stone from the Warrior.

"I... suppose that's a possibility," Ranmaru conceded, picking up his smaller stone. "If those beasts continue to attack Ransei, there is no such thing as overcaution." His gaze fell. "But... at the same time, I don't know if-"

"Beasts, you say?"

Ranmaru and Lucario both yelped, turning towards the voice; Ranmaru's grip tightened on his stone without thinking before he even had time to register who was there. The brilliant light surged from his stone and Lucario's as he scrambled to his feet, taking a hand-to-hand stance; the prismatic sphere had formed and shattered before he realized that Nobunaga was standing in the doorway.

"...Lord Nobunaga." Ranmaru glanced at the changed Lucario awkwardly before turning back to his Warlord. "I...

Nobunaga smirked. "As secrets forced into the open go," he observed, "this one seems... a little less personal than most."

+x+x+x+

"Well, look who it is!"

The voice from behind earned a smirk from Kotarō. He and Zoroark had elected to _march_ back to Yaksha from Dragnor; no sooner had he reached the edge of the castle courtyard than the free-spirited voice had called on him, and he turned to find Keiji - the wanderer who had served as Warlord of this kingdom once before already - standing there with his Bastiodon at his side.

"Finally come back, did you?" Keiji mused.

Kotarō huffed. "Did you... miss me?"

Keiji shook his head. "Me, not especially," he replied. "But a kingdom whose Warlord has run off isn't in the safest of moods."

"Ha..." Kotarō glanced around the town surrounding the castle. "They'd never caused too much chaos without me, before Evia did her work," he observed.

"Oh, you're gonna act like it was so much better like _that_, are you?" Keiji demanded.

Kotarō sighed. "As much as I would like to take the credit for my own departure," he informed the wanderer, "vanishing off the face of Ransei entire was not my own choice. And after the terrors I've been through on the other side of that gate, the labours of ruling a kingdom are welcome."

"Then the kingdom's yours, like it should've been," Keiji insisted. "As long as you're not gonna try and drive it to the edge of Distortion again."

"Oh, how I'd love to," Kotarō observed, "but I believe a change of tactics is in order where my ruling a kingdom is concerned."

Keiji's expression fell. "What."

"Quite," Kotarō insisted. "If I cannot even make a sacred vow and be trusted not to bring harm to those who serve a common interest, it appears I need do something to make clear there are certain boundaries even I am unwilling to cross. Should I need to change the way I hold the throne, so be it."

"Regionwide news, that is," Keiji mused.

Kotarō smirked. "Perhaps, if I have a junior Warlord to vouch for me, Warriors will be more like to accept me as a man of my word."

"Hope you find one," Keiji argued. "But I'm not one to be tied down, if there aren't people who need me."

"Surely you can linger long enough to offer me hospitality?" Zoroark took a ready stance, and Kotarō raised one set of claws before him. "I would welcome the opportunity for an... _amicable_ fight between Warriors."

Keiji grinned, and Bastiodon stomped the ground. "You and I have different ideas of what hospitality entails," he argued, "but I think I can give you that much."

+x+x+x+

"I don't care how well _you_ fight, Haxorus was still about to knock out Bisharp before the clock went off!"

"Are you trying to claim you won, or convince me that I lost?"

Kiyomasa groaned, shaking his head in exasperation. He and Haxorus, Masanori and Krookodile, and Mitsunari and Bisharp had enjoyed a little friendly match in Aurora - and, as it tended to, the battle had escalated before too long. All three of them were bruised, scratched, and generally roughed up, and they'd elected to travel to the beach to relax; the Greenleaf/Fontaine border was practically neutral territory at this point so that Warriors could enjoy themselves at the shore.

As they got closer, it was clear they weren't the first ones to get there; the sun gleaming off a familiar pair of horns got Kiyomasa's attention, and he grabbed his friends' shoulders to stop them. "Hey," he warned, "look."

Evia and Oichi were sitting at the water's edge, footwear set aside so the tide could wash over their feet. Wigglytuff, Glaceon, and Sylveon were still playing in the water, but a familiar blue figure was resting in Oichi's arms, and the three seemed to be talking.

"All the Pokémon in that nowhere kingdom," Masanori mused, "and they decide to bring the freaking Sea Princess back to Ransei."

"If they were gonna host a Pokémon like that," Mitsunari observed, "they should have started making a basin of their own."

Kiyomasa shook his head. "The basin was already there when Nagamasa showed up as a kid," he recalled, "and he barely left the castle after he found her. It would take way too long, take up way too much space, and the edge of the region is only a few hours' walk from the castle. Better to just let her spend the time in the ocean proper and visit her every so often."

"Maybe you've got a point," Mitsunari conceded.

Masanori hoisted his kanabo over his shoulder with a sigh. "Let's see what the beach is like further into Greenleaf," he suggested. "Evia gets pissy if we interrupt her while they're being all lovey-dovey."

Mitsunari scoffed as they started westerly. "Can you blame her? No one wants their date interrupted."

+x+x+x+

"Gracia?"

Gothitelle turned towards the call first; Gracia only sighed, lowering her hands from Solgaleo and Lunala as she glanced back to find Mitsuhide and Lapras approaching her at the castle battlefield. It was nearly dusk, and she couldn't blame him for being concerned, with how long she'd been out here. "Father," she greeted.

"Is something the matter?" Mitsuhide asked as he dismounted. "You've been coming out here for the past week."

"Yeah," Gracia admitted. "I just..." She turned back to Lunala and Solgaleo. "Did I tell you about how they evolved?"

Mitsuhide nodded. "The Blinding One's light," he confirmed. "What of it?"

"Necrozma said it had gotten its light when the sun and moon healed it," Gracia mused. "And it gave that light to the Cosmoem so they could help us." She sighed. "But it was worried that, if they tried to give light back to it too soon, they might... devolve into Cosmoem again."

"Devolution?" Mitsuhide echoed. "Is that... possible?"

Gracia shook her head. "With legendary Pokémon, there's no reason to believe it's not," she admitted. "But... it's been too long, now. Necrozma said it was enduring - it shouldn't have to endure any more." She raised her gaze. "You two should go - back to that battlefield where we found the Blinding One. Give its light back."

Lunala gave a worried cry.

"She's right," Mitsuhide admitted. "If it's true, and they take that risk, and it's too soon... they won't be able to meet you again."

"I know," Gracia insisted. "But..." She sighed.

Mitsuhide set a hand on her shoulder. "...Do you want to go with them?"

"...No," Gracia proclaimed. "I don't... think I want to." She raised her gaze to the legendary Pokémon. "But I want to ask a favour. If you restore Necrozma, and you're not hurt... I don't want you to come back to Ransei. I want you to keep Ransei safe."

Solgaleo gave a concerned growl.

"You guys can control the gates, like this," Gracia observed. "The beasts have still been attacking Ransei - they're never here very long, but they're still _scaring_ people. If you can, I want you to stop them from coming here. And stop people from getting lost, like Evia was."

The two traded glances, and then turned back to her and nodded.

"Okay." Gracia smiled. "Thank you." She raised her hands towards them again.

Lunala and Solgaleo nudged her palms gently - and this time, a light wrapped her channel bracelets. Gracia and Mitsuhide started as her weapons started to change; when the light faded, the two were no longer mirror images of one another. The bracelet on her left wrist was a bright orange, with the emblem of the sun imprinted upon it; the one on her right was a deep blue, with the emblem of the moon.

"You two..." Gracia touched her palms together, and a power flowed over her hands - a spectral blue glow wrapped her right hand, and a radiant orange surrounded her left. Then she touched them again, causing the power to fade; and when Gothitelle tried to wrap them in psychic power, it was channeled just the same. "This is..."

"Something to remember them by," Mitsuhide observed.

Gracia raised her gaze. "Thank you," she praised.

Solgaleo and Lunala nodded; then they turned away, and light filled their forms. A gate appeared in the air before them; Lunala soared through it, and Solgaleo leapt in after her.

As the gate vanished, Gracia closed her eyes.

"Good luck, you two."

+x+x+x+

"So you were raised by a Trainer?"

With almost daily visits to the shore to see Manaphy, it didn't take long for Evia and Oichi to notice the sadness that the Sea Princess was hosting. Almost a month after they'd returned to Ransei, Oichi worked up the courage to ask - and was surprised by the answer.

Manaphy nodded in response to the healer's question. "Big mountain, cut two." She swept her hands down to indicate the division of the region she was describing. "Water nice, but... lake. Little beach."

"You're meant for the ocean," Evia observed. "Spending time in freshwater would help, but... it wasn't good for you in the long-term."

"Uh-uh." Manaphy shook her head. "Sick. Mama worry. Papa scared."

Oichi sighed. "Nagamasa was lucky," she pointed out. "The basin behind the castle meant he could keep you in an ocean environment. But Brother said Trainers spend a lot of time travelling. And even when they don't, they can't always stay at the shore."

"Not that Warlords always have the luxury," Evia mused. "If your Egg had washed up in Ransei before we went on that conquest against Nobunaga, I wouldn't have been able to raise you properly, either." She glanced down at the ball Motonari had given her. "These things would be the only reason you were able to spend as much time with your Trainer as you did."

"Um." Manaphy looked awkward.

Oichi blinked. "Didn't your Trainer...?"

"Papa friendly," Manaphy insisted. "Carry arms, spend time. Cold, wrap warm."

"But..." Oichi shook her head. "Nagamasa didn't want you out of the basin for a whole day."

"Careful," Manaphy observed. "Know, not want worry. But okay."

The three of them fell quiet, turning back towards the ocean.

"Do you want to see them again?" Evia asked.

Manaphy turned. "Huh?"

"Your Mama and Papa, in that region of Trainers," Evia mused. "Do you want to go see them again?"

"...Mhm," Manaphy admitted.

"Then you should go back," Oichi insisted. "You've spent enough time in the ocean to have healed from what happened - and I know they won't make the same mistake again. You should go see them."

Manaphy looked up to them. "Sure?"

Evia nodded. "We're sure. But... could you maybe wait a little bit? I want to give you a message for them."

The Sea Princess nodded. "Mhm. Wait," she assured them.

+x+x+x+

_To the Trainers of the region divided by mountain;  
If you are reading this, the Sea Princess has found you; I hope with all my heart that it is not the first time you have seen her face, and that it will not be the last. Manaphy has roamed the seas, and seen a great deal - experiences I hope she has the chance to share with you. But she has returned to seek the people who raised her from an Egg, that she might spend time with them once again.  
__Let her spend time in the ocean waters; meet her at the shore, and spend your time together there. So long as you do not keep her from the waves, she will not suffer - and she will be free to come to you, time and again.  
I hope you are never made to part again.  
~Oichi, junior Warlord to Evia of Aurora in the region of Ransei_

Motonari's research had revealed more than one use for the balls that Trainers carried. In addition to hosting Pokémon, for ease of having a team to accompany, they could also be used to hold small items within themselves, so long as they weren't already occupied. The space wasn't terribly large, but it was more than enough for a letter - and with the ball closed, the containment was watertight.

Evia set the ball upon a cord, that Manaphy could wear it as a necklace, and she and Oichi brought it with them to the shore when they came to see Manaphy off.

"Thanks," Manaphy praised as she accepted it. "Okay?"

"We'll be okay, Manaphy," Evia insisted. "Watch yourself, alright?"

"Mhm. Careful." She started to drift backwards in the water. "Come back?"

Oichi nodded. "Of course you can come back," she assured. "As long as your Papa knows you're okay."

Manaphy smiled, waving as she swam off. "Good-bye!"

"Goodbye, Manaphy," Evia called back.

As she started to descend beneath the waves, Oichi whistled out to the water - the same four-note tune that Nagamasa would share with her.

And as Manaphy began to swim off, she called the same four notes back.


End file.
